The Beginning of Haru
by Haru Shadow
Summary: This is the story of Haru, a ninja from the Land of Water, as he enters the Leaf to become a Chunin. Even though he knew the process would be hard, he didn't know it'd be this hard...at least, he found an old friend on this little adventure...and a love interest. Yaoi pairing (nothing serious happens for now), rated for gore and language. (getting revamped)
1. Born with Wolf's Blood

**HALLO! So many of you have read this story many times over due to it's constant updates...but hey I'm a hopeless perfectionist, what can I say. But this story is about Haru, my character, and how his life in pre-shippuden went. Now even though the pairing is Gaara and Haru, nothing serious happens in pre-shippuden due to Gaara's look-at-me-you-die phase, and even after Therapy no Jutsu, it's still pretty impossible. So! The love's only one-sided for now thanks to Haru being hopelessly gay for redheads. So, I hope you come to enjoy this story!  
**

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The moon was going to be full on this fateful night.

The Yuki Clan, known and feared by their powerful Kekkei Genkai, was going to be erased from the Earth. Few in the clan were gifted with the Kekkei Genkai, but it was more of a curse with the price that came with the "gift". Whoever possessed the power, if they were exposed, were killed on the spot. Haku, one of the clans children who was gifted, was exposed, along with his cousins father. Both families were to be killed, but...

His cousin was yet to be born.

And it was this fateful night he was due.

With such timing, Haru would be certain to be slain with his parents...but they had a plan. The mother, Yoko, was not of Yuki blood. She held the surname of Okamichi. With that name, came a great ability. Like the three great summons controlled by the three great Sanin, there was another summon that was more secluded: the wolf. Like any wolfs natural born nature, they are seclusive beings, not comfortable with the presence of humans, but the Okamichi family had earned their trust many years ago. Yoko, on the verge of birthing Haru and with the help of her husband, summoned the alpha wolf, Fuyumaru.

Fuyumaru was a wolf many times larger then any horse, and bared a gleaming grey coat with many hues. His eyes were an ebony black, and his fur was silken.

"You summoned me...you are in danger." He said with a low, wise voice. "Please Fuyumaru...our son...he's going to die if you don't help us, please!" The father panicked. Not only were their own lives at stake, but so was Haru's, at a greater level. His chakra level was diminishing, and he would soon die if his chakra was not replenished. Fuyumaru stared down to Yoko who heaved her breath with strain.

She was hurting.

His eyes narrowed as he sat next to the futon, gently placing a large paw onto her belly. "I have to tie our chakras. It's the only way I know how to save him, permanently. He may suffer side effects, but he will live off of me generating half of his chakra for him. I take chakra from nature, so it will not harm me...are you willing to let me help him?"

Yoko looked into the wolf's dark eyes with her own ebony ones. Her eyes teared. "...Save my son..."

Closing his eyes, Fuyumaru concentrated his chakra down to his paw, and onto her belly, seeping down to Haru.

"...Shingetsu Seal!" He suddenly snarled, chakra streams pouring from his paw, marking Yoko's stomach with seal marks. As soon as he did so, she went into labor...

It was a panicked and stressful time, but eventually, Haru was born. Originally supposed to bare brown hair and eyes, he now had hair resembling Fuyumaru's fur, ebony eyes, and wolf ears and tail. The side effects of the seal were definitely present, but...nothing stopped Yoko from adoring her son. His father smiled ever so happily, as did Fuyumaru.

...But the joy was short lived. Fuyumaru stood, and growled. "...They're coming." His pupils dilated as he heard the Ninja near their household. "...Yoko, my love...there's no time left, you must take Haru and leave with Fuyumaru so that you can live." The father laid close to his wife, caressing her cheek, and then Haru's. "Love...I can't...I can't leave you." She said with tears in her eyes, reaching out to him. "...You must...I will stay and hold them off as long as possible, but you must go...I love you both with all of my heart and soul." He said, holding her hand and kissing her temple softly before kissing Haru's as well, standing up. "Fuyumaru." He said with a low voice, the wolf turning to him with full attention. "...Protect my wife and son...that is my dying wish." He said as he walked towards the exit of the room. "...With my life." Fuyumaru replied.

The father left the room, Yoko quickly beginning to call out for him. "Yoko there's no time, we must leave! For Haru's sake...we must go!" Fuyumaru said with a stern but quiet voice. She hesitated...but then quickly got out of the bed, changing her clothing and wrapping herself into a blanket. She carefully wrapped Haru as well before climbing onto Fuyumaru's back as he knelt for her.

"I will protect you with my life..." The wolf repeated under his breath as he heard the Ninja burst into the house in the other room. He swiftly broke through the backsides door before running away through the snow, and into the woods. Yoko clung tightly to his fur, holding Haru close.

Their home destroyed...their clan now slaughtered...

Haru was born into a cruel world.

A world of fight. Keep fighting. And never stop fighting.

A world...of Ninja.

* * *

 **...And this is how it happened when Haru was born. Man...that's tough. But hey I'm pretty sure a Naruto character isn't much without a tragic backstory. Hope you all enjoyed this, because there's going to be much more... _much_ more. But please review! Fav and follow n shit  
**


	2. The Sparrow and the Snake

**Alrighty! So sadly Haru had a bad beginning in life, but luckily, he's too young to remember any of it...but then that just leaves his mother keeping the truth from him. Eventually he'll have to know, but for now, he'll have to grow. ENJOY!  
**

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Eventually, Fuyumaru's running slowed to walking as he traveled through the snowy wastelands with Haru and Yoko in tow. He knew of a place to go. It was his own tatami house which he once lived alone in...but it seems that he will now have company. As he came onto a clear trail through the forest that he knew, he sighed and glanced back at Yoko. "...Is he warm?" He whispered in an attempt to break the silence that filled the air. Flurries had now begun to fall.

Yoko took a minute to respond, but nodded, holding her baby close.

Fuyumaru neared his manor, walking to the front door and nudging it open with his muzzle. After walking in, he shut it so the cold didn't come into the house. Inside was warm.

The house was filled with old furniture and ancient relics, shelves filled with scrolls, and a fireplace, but this was only the living room. There were two bedrooms and a bathroom. It's size was quite convenient for his new company. "You will stay here as long you wish. I know that houses, even small ones, can get expensive. I hope you don't mind the lack of electricity here." Fuyumaru smiled as Yoko climbed off of him. He walked over to the fireplace that was now burning coals, and blew at it a few times, getting the fire going. He grabbed a stick in his mouth that had a small flame, and went around the house lighting the lamps and candles. Yoko walked over to the couch and sat down with Haru in her arms.

She was without a doubt still in shock from the earlier event...and Fuyumaru knew that, so he decided to stay quiet.

"Here, yours is damp and cold from the snow..." He walked over to her with a new and bigger blanket. "...Thank you." She whispered, removing her blanket and replacing it with his. "If you need anything, let me know..." He said before walking about the house, fixing things up, cleaning, and so on.

After fixing up things around the house for an hour, he returned to Yoko, placing a cup of warm tea on the table in front of her. "You may drink if you wish, it'll keep you warm." He stepped away, and laid down onto the mats. "You should rest Yoko...your tired heart has endured enough pain for today." He said before resting his head onto the floor, and soon slumbering. Yoko stared into the fire, holding her tea above Haru who slept in her lap.

...She silently wept that night, until she quietly fell into a dreamless sleep with her baby in her arms...

* * *

Yoko fluttered her eyes open as she awoke, her cheeks tear-stained from the previous night. She looked down to see Haru still in her arms. She had fallen asleep sitting up. She looked over to see if Fuyumaru was there, to only see that he was gone. Her eyes widened and she quickly looked around, before her eyes laid upon a note on the table in front of her.

"I'm getting proper nourishment for you and your child. By the time you should read this, I will be returning shortly. -Fuyumaru."

She smiled at the note, and right as she did, sure enough, the tatami door opened, and Fuyumaru entered with many bags in his mouth. He closed the door and walked into the kitchen area, placing them all onto the dining table. "I made sure to buy proper foods for both you and your child. I may not have electricity here, but traditionally freezing and reheating is not a problem." He said as he gestured outside. "I have a proper storage room outside that acts as a freezer, and the fire itself acts as your stove. Even though I may not cook, I still have all the necessary supplies in case I ever had company." He explained, unbagging the groceries.

"Fuyumaru...you've done so much for my family, I can't thank you enough." Yoko smiled with joy, Fuyumaru smiling back. "It's my duty...and my pleasure."

...Several years.

Several years have now passed since that fateful night.

Four years, to be exact.

Haru was growing big and fast, like any growing boy would, but...one thing became very evident to both Yoko and Fuyumaru. He refused to speak. He responded perfectly, but his words were few and far between. However, eventually this behavior left, and he began to speak normally again, but only to the two. He was incredibly shy whenever they brought him to a town for shopping.

Today, Fuyumaru was going to take him out shopping for more clothes while Yoko stayed home and watched the house.

Haru wore his favorite back, dark grey and light grey kimono. His hair was also quite long and fluffy, being just a bit above his shoulders. He loved it a bit long, and it helped his neck keep warm from the constant cold of their area. It was always winter where they lived, as it was Fuyumaru's home near Mount Shingetsu. The wolf summons home.

"We're heading out." Fuyumaru stated as he walked outside, Haru holding on tight on his back. Yoko nodded with a smile, waving to them and Fuyumaru shut the door. He quickly took off into a fast run through his path in the forest. It was a few minutes before he exited the Shingetsu area, and entered the normal Land of Water. As he continued to run, he eventually came across the small, peaceful town he commonly shops at and visits. The villagers are well acquainted with his appearance there.

This town was in one of the few sunny, drier places of the Land of Water.

He slowed into a walk as he entered the currently bustling town. It was rush hour, and everyone was hurrying to everywhere. As he let Haru down, he turned and whispered to him. "Stay close, okay? It's busy today and I don't want to lose track of you." He said before standing back up from kneeling. Haru quickly nodded, holding onto Fuyumaru's foreleg as they walked along. The marketplace had some booths that were set up outside of the stores for the sake of more business, which meant clothing stores had booths too, and that's why they were here.

As they peacefully shopped around, Haru stayed close, but kept looking around. He was curious of everything, as per usual. His wolf ears were perked as he listened to peoples conversations and the bustling of walking. But suddenly, his eyes locked onto something. Near the corner of an alleyway, a tiny little sparrow flapped and flailed around. Her wing was injured, and bent in a bad way. She was most likely stepped on...

Haru had a very caring heart for animals, and he couldn't just leave her there, she'd eventually get stepped on again, and squished. He slowly looked up to see if Fuyumaru was looking, in which he wasn't. Sneakily letting go of Fuyumaru's leg, Haru quietly ran over to the bird who was frightened, and flapped back into the very end of the dark alley.

Haru followed her, not wanting her to get hurt even more. He walked up to the bird slowly, trying not to scare her.

Slowly, he squatted down, and gently picked her up into his soft hands. He smiled, lightly petting her back with his thumb.

...Then suddenly his ear twitched to a sound behind him, causing him to hold the bird close and whirl around to see what it was. Haru's ears lowered, and he swallowed nervously as his eyes came onto a towering, slender, silhouetted figure in the shade of the alleyways entrance. He'd never seen this person, but he was scared of them. He sensed that something was dangerous about this person...

The figure lowly chuckled under his breath.

It was a man. As Haru looked closer at the figure, the man had long, black hair, pure white skin, and he wore a light purple kimono. As he looked at the face of the man, chills ran up his spine. A slender, cunning smile was plastered onto his face, his sleek eyes shut in a squinted way, almost like a fox. But this man was nothing like a fox...

...He was nothing but snake-like.

Haru's fear of this man grew, and he trembled as he stepped away, his back hitting the stone wall.

The man chuckled once again. "Well aren't you an odd one, hmm?" The man cooed in a raspy, menacing voice, cocking his head slightly with a long smile, his eyes opening. Haru's body froze as he felt those golden snake eyes on him. "Oh come now, don't be afraid..." His smile grew, and he slowly stepped forward from the shadows. Haru's breath quickened as he panicked, holding the bird very close to him.

The man chuckled in amusement. "You're quite timid for a child. Usually they're more rambunctious and eager to see something new..." He said, stopping right in front of Haru who held his head down and closed his eyes. "I'm a friend..." He knelt, his pale hand reaching down...and then petting Haru's hair.

Haru twitched, his ears laying flat against his hair as he slowly looked up to see the man smiling with his eyes squinted, just like before.

"See? There's no need to fear me." He then opened his eyes again, and Haru got to see it up close..

...Their malice...the murderous glint in those horrible golden eyes. The glint that struct fear straight into the heart of Haru.

Haru's lips trembled, fearing if he moved, he'd be struck...just like when a rattlesnake has its prey within it's range.

"Orochimaru..." Fuyumaru's voice was heard at the entrance of the alleyway. It was low and dark with an angered tone. Haru's never seen him angry before...so this was the first. Orochimaru's smile instantly faded as he moved his hand away from Haru, and he glared, looking over his shoulder back to the wolf who was snarling and baring his teeth. "You so much as lay another finger on him, and I'll tear it off..." He growled.

"...Hm." Orochimaru stood back up, his back facing the wolf. "...You must be Fuyumaru, correct?" Orochimaru's smile came back once again.

" _Leave._ " Fuyumaru said with a very dark tone. He was not in the mood for games.

"...Very well, I'll leave." Orochimaru turned, and began walking to the exit of the alleyway, walking past Fuyumaru. "...For now..." He chuckled under his breath once again, before disappearing into the crowds. _That bastard...he must've found out about his Kekkei Genkai..._ Fuyumaru thought to himself, before grunting a little as he felt Haru nearly throw himself onto his leg, clutching onto him desperately. _Haru...that damn snake must've scared him._ Fuyumaru leaned his head down and nuzzled Haru, comforting him. "It's okay, it's alright, he's gone now. You're safe, Haru..." He smiled, seeing that Haru was beginning to calm down.

Once Haru recomposed himself from his fear, he presented his little sparrow friend to Fuyumaru. The wolf smiled. "I see you found a small friend...come now, be sure to keep a hold of her as we continue our shopping. Once we return home, you can help heal her wound." He said, urging Haru to follow alongside him once more.

After the two finished their shopping and arrived back home, they hurried to fix up the poor sparrows wing.

The sparrows wing eventually healed, but as they tried to set it free, it refused, so now Haru had a small friend that would always fly around the house to follow him wherever he went, watching from a distance. The sparrow was never really given a name, and was mostly just called Sparrow, but the three did enjoy her presence in the household.

As an enemy was recognized, a friend was gained.

* * *

 **Haru and his wee little birb friend -v- also fuck off Orochimaru, no one likes you. Next up, Haru gets even older!  
**


	3. Love Set Ablaze

**Alright! So, we experienced Haru's new friend and new threat, and he was left 4 1/2 years old...but now, we come to where he gets a bit older, and you guessed it from the title, meets his edgy boyfriend.  
**

* * *

As Haru grew a bit older, he needed education, and so attended the Land of Waters ninja academy, supervised by both Fuyumaru and his mother. Fuyumaru now acted as his sensei. However...there were many things with the school that neither of them agreed with, and eventually, Haru left the school to be trained and schooled under them instead. Not only was the Land of Waters school principles unreasonable, so were the students...

Whenever Fuyumaru or Yoko turned their backs or weren't looking, Haru was horribly abused and harassed by other students for his voice being too "feminine", when in reality his vocal cords are just weak. This caused Haru to hate his voice over time, and gradually begin to refuse to speak, _at all_.

Once at age eleven, he was a registered Genin.

He received his headband, and ninja gear.

His outfit consisted of a half light grey, half dark grey shirt, baggy dark grey pants, knee-high black socks, fingerless black gloves, black arm warmers, and a black jacket tied around his waist (he never wears shoes, he hates them). His headband was in the form of a grey bandanna around his neck. His hair was now just at shoulder length, and his ears tall and tufted. His tail was much fluffier and a bit longer now.

He also was in progress of mastering his Kekkei Genkai...along with many of it's jutsu.

He was a strong ninja, but it only laid within his abilities. His physical strength and amount of chakra were his downfalls.

Today however, was special for Haru. Ninja from all over were heading to the Leaf Village's Chunin exams. With some talking with the Hokage from Fuyumaru, he was accepted as a one man team. Haru had certain advantages that let him in alone. It was an extremely rare occasion...

But never the less, it was time to pack and head out.

Only he and Fuyumaru were to head to the Leaf Village, and get settled into a temporary home so that they could wait the week until the exams started.

It would be a very long time until they'd be able to see their beloved home in the snow, and Yoko...but Haru was excited for this little "adventure". Yoko gave him a kiss on the head and a big hug before his departure on the boats to the Land of Fire. Luckily enough, neither got sea sick the whole trip there. The boats eventually boarded, and they now had to travel on foot to the village. It was an easy journey, as they didn't run into any trouble along the way. Sure enough, they came to the front gate.

Fuyumaru was carrying Haru on his back as they entered the village. The two gate keeper ninja who were guarding it sat up from their chairs inside a booth-like stand. "...You're...you're Fuyumaru, right?" One said to him as Fuyumaru then walked over to the stand. "Yes, and when exactly did the Chunin exams start?" He asked.

"Oh, well they start in a week." The other guard said.

"Thank you." He nodded in thanks. "We should head to the house we're renting right away." Fuyumaru said with a smile, and they continued until they came across the small apartment building that sat next to others. It was small, but not too small. Two bedroom, one bathroom, one main room, and a kitchen. Unlike their previous house, it had electricity. While Fuyumaru was acquainted with electricity, it was completely foreign to Haru. As the two got settled in, Fuyumaru went to meet with the Hokage...but soon after he left, Haru locked up the apartment ran to get him just because he wanted to go as well.

Fuyumaru allowed Haru to travel along with him, riding on his back.

However, as they were about to enter the Hokages room... "...Haru it'd be best for you to wait out here, okay? You can rest on that seat over there." He smiled whispering to Haru, gesturing the bench near the window. Haru nodded, Fuyumaru going ahead into the room, leaving Haru to himself in the hall before he went to lazily sit down and look outside. The village was so huge...

...Sure enough, Haru fell asleep with his head leaning against the window, waiting on Fuyumaru.

After about an hour or two, Fuyumaru returned from his meeting.

"Wake up little wolf...come on." Haru giggled quietly as he woke up to the wolf's nuzzling, opened his eyes. The two soon exited the building."We'll only be staying here temporarily, for the Chunin exams and for a little while longer to get you some missions. After that, we will return home for awhile..." Fuyumaru explained, walking along the street to their apartment. "...But when we all three return, we will stay here." He looked back at Haru with a smile. Haru gasped a bit as he was shocked. He had a very strong attachment to the tatami house...but he figured that they couldn't have just stayed there forever, and that staying in a village would be safer. He nodded slowly, but his sadness was apparent...until something caught his attention.

His ears quickly perked into a certain direction, and his face now looked of a mix of concern and concentration. _...A fight?_ He thought.

"...? Haru? Ha-" Fuyumaru looked back to him as he stopped at their doorstep, but he stopped as Haru suddenly jumped off of him and ran off. "HARU!" Fuyumaru growled, but bit his tongue with a slight growl. "...Don't get in trouble, little wolf." He whispered to himself, heading into the house to unpack Haru's things and clean the house a little. Haru continued his fast pace through the village, looking around for where the chakra was coming from.

 _There!_ He thought as he saw Sand Genin and a young Leaf preschooler. Upon spotting the scene from his perch on a building, his gaze turned into a glare. Such confrontations made him angry...it reminded him of the times he was treated the same way. He readied himself to interfere, until he saw a figure jump into the tree next to the building. It was a Leaf Genin, who held a stone in his hand, aiming at one of the Sand ninja. He decided to wait and see what happens, and see if the Genin was going to help or not...

Sure enough, as the Sand Genin was about to hurt the preschooler, the Leaf Genin threw the stone. A direct hit to his hand, causing him to drop the boy and grunt in pain. Haru then took his chance, rushing in with great speed to grab the preschooler before he hit the ground, setting him down with two others who seemed to be his friends before stepping back.

"Woah...um...thank you!" The kid said, amazed, then turned back to the others.

"Wha...hey you were pretty quick!" Another Genin of the Leaf said, looking at Haru with a big grin. Haru smiled sheepishly, but both of their attention was drawn to the other Leaf ninja. "You're a long way from home, and you're way out of your league." He said from the trees shadows, holding another stone.

Haru's eyes squinted a little, recognizing that look anywhere. _Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha...I'm impressed._ Haru smiled a bit. He's heard of the last Uchiha...but his thoughts were paused as his ears flinched to the high pitched squeal from the other Leaf Genin by the other. He guessed it must've been a fangirl...quite typical for someone like Sasuke. He does seem like that heartthrob type of guy.

Taking yet another chance to now slip away and watch, Haru jumped away and into the tree Sasuke was in, but on another branch on the other side.

"Oh great another wimp to tick me off..." The Sand ninja growled, holding his bruised wrist. "Get lost." Sasuke said darkly, crumbling the rock he held in his palm to dust. As things continued to progress, Haru couldn't quite tell if it was getting better or worse, until he saw the Sand ninja bring out his weapon.

 _Oh dear...this is going to turn into a fight...should I do something?_ He thought, concerned. He put a hand to his chin in thought, his brows furrowed. He wanted to keep a low profile but at the same time wanted to stop the fight. Soon caught into his thoughts, he was suddenly scared nearly out of his skin.

"Kankuro. Back off." A raspy, cold voice said from beside him out of nowhere.

Haru jumped back, ending up falling off of the branch and into a bush behind a fence. He sat up in the bush, rubbing the back of his head. Thankfully the bush broke his fall, but...he was shocked that someone snuck up on he like that, and so close. He looked up, and his heart skipped a beat.

It was another Sand Genin, but this red-headed little fellow...Haru fancied his looks quite a bit.

...He even looked a bit familiar though...those sea green eyes...

Haru pursed his lips tightly shut, his cheeks flaring up with blush and he quickly sunk into the bush before getting up and running off.

 _Wh-What am I doing! He's another Genin...an enemy! I-I can't feel like that towards him! And i-it's a guy...again...agh why do I do this to myse-_ He ranted to himself in his mind, but stopped as he gasped, Fuyumaru coming out from a corner, Haru ending up running into him.

"Haru! I was wondering where you we-" Fuyumaru started, but was a bit shocked as Haru quickly moved away from his leg with his head down, his stance all straight and tensed up. Fuyumaru cocked his head, wondering what was up with him. Once he leaned his head down a bit to see Haru's face for a second before Haru quickly turned away, he figured it out. A smile came across his mouth. "Another crush, hm?" He chuckled, lifting his head back up. "I knew you would find someone who would catch your eye here..." Fuyumaru smiled, nudging Haru to start walking so they could go home. He already knew about Haru's preference in gender, but he wasn't sure what type of person he liked yet.

He was quite curious...but kept quiet until they got home.

Once they returned home, Haru hurried into his room to unpack and change clothes while Fuyumaru shut the door and locked it for the the evening, since no one was going out for the rest of the day. As Haru came back downstairs in his casual clothing of a white shirt and baggy black pants, Fuyumaru walked over with a small smile. Haru plopped down onto the couch and turned on the TV since he had the chance to watch regular television, which he never grew up with. He still seemed to be flustered, or at least tense. He knew Fuyumaru was going to eventually ask questions...

It was quiet as Fuyumaru sat quietly behind the couch...buuuuut...

"...So who was it that caught your eye?" Fuyumaru glanced down at Haru, who groaned in annoyance and shoved his face into a pillow. Fuyumaru only laughed, shaking his head before walking around the couch, and laying down in front of it. It was a long, but nice day...

He smiled, eager to see how Haru will do in the exams.

He hoped he will do well...

Soon enough, both fell asleep, the TV still on.

* * *

 **My little child is getting gayer by the second *tears up* that's my boy! Review please, and stay tuned!  
**


	4. The Chunin Exam Test

**Okayyyy so last time we experienced Haru finding his husband so now we will see what happened after he and Fuyumaru left for the Chunin Exams test. ENJOY!**

* * *

The next morning, Fuyumaru was the first to rise, being quite an early bird.

He lifted his head with a yawn, looking over his shoulder to see Haru fast asleep on the couch. He smiled and stood up, stretching out before walking into the kitchen to grab some food to eat for that morning. He had bought a lot of groceries while Haru was out "not causing trouble" the previous day, and had bought himself a bunch of packaged meat. Unlike regular canines, he was a lupine, and he refused to eat any sort of dog food, only eating raw meat. He opened the fridge, pulling out a big package and opening it to eat on the meat until finished, putting the bag into the garbage. "Haru, wake up. It's time to eat before going to get your application for the exams." Fuyumaru said as he walked into the living room, nudging Haru awake.

With a slight groan, Haru awoke, tiredly sitting up and yawning, stretching as well before standing up and heading into the kitchen to fix him his usual breakfast. While he fried an egg on the new stove, he ate an apple and a banana for his healthy side of the breakfast. He ate his fried egg, cleaned the dishes, put them away, and went upstairs to get ready. Once he got dressed in his ninja gear, Fuyumaru turned off the TV and all the lights.

* * *

Haru got the key and unlocked the door, Fuyumaru walking out first as Haru closed and locked it back before putting the key into his pouch, climbing onto Fuyumaru's back, and heading to the application building.

They entered the building without a problem, but Haru stopped at the second floor as he saw a crowd of Genin at a door.

The applications were on the third floor.

This floor was the second floor, as Haru was paying attention to how many stairways they climbed.

It was a genjutsu on the floor number sign. It was supposed to be 201, not 301.

Haru sighed. _...If these are the Genin of this Chunin exam...I feel disappointed._ He thought, before waving Fuyumaru on to follow him on up the stairway. Fuyumaru smiled at his smart student, proudly following. They eventually came across the right doors. 301. Haru moved forward to enter, but Fuyumaru quickly stopped him by walking in front of him. "Haru...listen, there's going to be many ninja in there much older then you. This year, you're the youngest to enter these Chunin exams, and the only one with a one-man-team. Please stay close...these are dangerous ninja." Fuyumaru said with a serious tone. Knowing he wasn't joking, Haru nodded once, letting Fuyumaru open the doors and enter first.

...The room was filled with many, many dark looking Genin.

Many of them turned and stared. Haru could feel many eyes on him, and he swallowed, glancing over the crowd of deadly ninja. Much to his unneeded surprise, he spotted out the red-headed Sand Genin. Just like before, his heart skipped a beat, and his cheeks flushed a little, causing him to lower his head again.

Fuyumaru, being ever so observant, caught sight of just who Haru saw and reacted to.

 _He likes the Kazekages boy? Gaara of the Desert? This...is certainly a surprise, but...Gaara...he's dangerous. I'll have to keep watch on both he and Haru to make sure nothing gets out of hand._ Fuyumaru thought to himself. "We need to wait for the Jonin to hand out our seat numbers...ah, thank you." Fuyumaru stated, until a Jonin had walked up to them, handing Haru a piece of paper. "This is your seat number, Haru." Fuyumaru said as Haru opened the piece of paper, reading the seat number.

Fuyumaru read the number, and then scanned the rooms booths and people siting in them, calculating where he would sit...and once he found out, a small smile crossed his face.

He leaned by Haru and whispered. "Your seat just so happens to be right next to your crush..." He chuckled under his breath as he earned a barely audible nervous sound(?) from Haru. "Come on," He stepped back, and bumped Haru forward. Haru became very anxious, but swallowed and stepped forward towards his booth, not yet sitting down as he nearly froze in place. If he didn't know any better, he would think that someone put boiling oil on his cheeks they were so hot.

The Sand Genin remained silent...for a moment.

"...You..." Gaara suddenly said, looking directly at Haru.

Haru's lowered ears quickly perked as he turned his gaze from the floor to Gaara as response. He tried not to get flustered by Gaara's rather intense staring. "Where are you from?" Gaara asked in his usual raspy tone, eyeing Haru's wolf ears, making him even more nervous. "He's from Mount Shingetsu in the Land of Water. He's my student." Fuyumaru said with a smile, bumping Haru into the seat and making him sit. On his honest opinion, he questioned Haru's choice to like this one...he's just so dangerous with the mental state he has...

Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly at the large wolf he stared deeply back...but the staring contest ended once the procter entered, and got the classes attention. Fuyumaru was about to take his leave, but whispered to Haru first. "Listen Haru...there's a reason why you're a one-man-team...don't worry." He smiled, then walked back and sat by the ninja aligned with their booth.

With a tap of chalk to the board, Ibiki began to speak to the ninja. "Everyone, eyes front. There are a few rules you need to be aware of. And I won't answer any questions, so you better pay attention the first time around."

Haru perked his ears, pushing his nervousness away to listen.

Ibiki went on to explain the rules and how everything worked, earning a few protests in the process...but all this still left Haru confused as to why it was okay for him to be a one-man-team, especially after hearing the rules.

"We may have never used this before...but it's possible. Yes, I'm speaking to you in a telepathic way, do not be alarmed." Fuyumaru explained to Haru through his thoughts. Haru's brows raised in surprise as he glanced over to Fuyumaru, who only smiled in return. "I'm very well acquainted with the Chunin exam tests...which is why technically, you have the biggest advantage here. However, I will only guide you with questions, I will not give you straight up answers." He explained. "Like how three-man-teams have rules, you do too. Because you are only a one-man-team, the points you lose are tripled. Each time you get on answer wrong, it takes away _three points,_ Which means you have to be very, _very_ careful about this." He said with a serious tone. This rule caused Haru to get a bit uneasy, but Fuyumaru chuckled.

"Don't worry too much. This will be easier then you think." Fuyumaru reassured him. It was through using their spiritual chakra connection seal, Fuyumaru was able to speak to Haru in a telepathic way.

After Fuyumaru explained, the proctor continued.

"Rule number three: the sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating. And for every incident they spot, they will subtract two points from the culprits score." He gave a noticeable grin, seeing people quietly grumble and mumble all around the room. "Be warned: their eyes are extremely sharp. And if they catch you five times you'll be dismissed before the tests are even scored." Most of the Genin there were steadily beginning to get fed up after hearing all the ways to lose points, but Haru remained calm.

"Anyone fool enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here..." Ibiki grinned.

"I've got my eye on you guys..." One of the sentinels smirked, and the some of the ninja in that booth began to get nervous.

"If you want to be considered shinobi, then show us...what exceptional shinobi you can be." Haru could tell the entire room was in thought.

"One more thing: if any candidate should get a zero and fail the test...then the _entire_ _team fails_." Ibiki stared hard into the crowd of young ninja, hearing many groan and even protest furiously. "The final question won't be given out until fifteen minutes before the end of the testing period. You'll have one hour total..." He said, and Haru's ears perked back to hear the ticking of the clock...

 _Tick._

 _Tick._

 _Tick..._

"...BEGIN!" Ibiki called out, and Haru could hear everyone begin looking over their papers.

He began to look over his own as well, and his eyes widened within seconds.

The questions...were far too advanced for any Genin.

Haru swallowed with nervous sweat running down his face, looking over to Fuyumaru with the _please help me_ look.

Fuyumaru audibly chuckled. "Explain to me each problem, and I will help you through this..." He said, and Haru did as told. But Haru slowly began to stop after they did three questions, his eyes squinting at the paper. Fuyumaru slowly smiled...

"...Do you know why these questions are so hard now?" The wolf said, Haru only smiling. Fuyumaru saw that smile from the end of the booth. "...Well then, since you know what the test is for, I leave you to it." Fuyumaru chuckled, leaving the rest to Haru.

Haru took a deep breath, closing his eyes, completely concentrating on sound. One of his greatest senses, thanks to his wolf ears, that were extremely sensitive to sound. He listened carefully for good penmanship...

"Him." Fuyumaru said as Haru's ears targeted a certain ninja. Haru nodded and grabbed his own pencil, concentrated and hearing the very movement of that ninja's arm...and soon getting in sync with it.

Fuyumaru was also hearing for a person, following Haru. He didn't want him to get one of the _disguised Jonin_ , but to at least get a person that had some good answers. Being able to do so in such a fast pace granted Haru the time to sit back and relax a bit after he finished his answers. He took the time to also look around and observe how everyone else was doing...including Gaara.

He sneakily watched as Gaara performed a sand jutsu, watching as the sand formed a eyeball.

It actually reminded Haru of his own snow jutsu...until some of the sand drifted toward him. Haru leaned away from the sand, getting very confused as to why it drifted his way, until some of it went into his nose, and then...

"A **-** Ah...Aaah...ACHOO!"

He covered his mouth with his hands before he sneezed, shaking his head ans wiping away the sand. He sniffled a bit, not having sneezed in a long time. It kind of sounded...cute. Haru blushed a little, realizing that it could've been see that way...either way, there's still the last question...all he has to do now, is wait out the last twenty minutes.

* * *

 **Awesome going there Haru! And reaaaaal smooth** **Fuyumaru. Especially you Gaara, I swear, pokin' yer** **eye** **out** **all the heckin time...yeesh. NEXT UP: THE FINAL QUESTION! Also Haru's just a wolf puppy confirmed, he even sneezed like one. CASE CLOSED  
**


	5. Chunin Exam Part Two, Start

**Time for that tasty final question ya'll...ENJOY!  
**

* * *

The time had ticked by, and the Genin gradually ran out of time. Haru patiently waited, noticing how nearly half of the people here have now left, being caught by the sentinels and called out.

"...Alright, listen up. Here's the tenth and final question." The proctor yelled, catching everyone's full attention.

"...But, before I give you the question, there are some more rules you need to be aware of." Ibiki said, then Kankuro finally returned from his trip to the restrooms. Haru glanced back, seeing him return.

The proctor said a few words about Kankuro's...trip, then told him to sit.

(Before I continue, explaining all the rules and etc that Ibiki said is hard and time consuming, so I'm just going to go ahead and tell it story wise)

The class could choose. Take, or not take the question. If you don't you're disqualified. If you fail...you can never become a Chunin. When the time came for those who didn't want to take the question to raise their hand, many did, leaving very few, just barely a quarter of the class left. "Haru...this is your choice." Fuyumaru said, leaving it to Haru. The little wolf didn't seem like he was backing down...not now. He came too far for this. He didn't want to go home to his mom still a Genin. Fuyumaru smiled at his determination.

As they waited, that one Leaf ninja from before took a stand, and spoke of how he'd never run, quit, or give up.

That's quite some spirit, but for the ones who stayed...

They passed.

Haru sat, dumbfounded, and caught completely in shock. He was completely oblivious to what just happened, and Fuyumaru burst into laughter telepathically. "That's Ibiki for you...always messing with peoples heads...It has truly been awhile since I've seen someone do such a thing!" Fuyumaru laughed while Haru sat silently, still confused.

What happened was that the tenth question was secretly just whether or not you were willing to stay. Ibiki explained how everything worked, and it all became clear...but Haru was still a bit confused when the proctor said "as a team". After much more talking, he announced that everyone that was left was able to continue to the next step of the exam.

...But to everyone's surprise again, a ball of cloth broke through the window, two kunai shooting out to open the cloth and reveal another Jonin that hopped out. Fuyumaru chuckled, walking over to Haru, shaking his head. "...Always a dramatic entrance, Anko..." Fuyumaru said under his breath as she enthusiastically introduced herself, and complained to Ibiki about having too many Genin pass this year around.

 _...These exams are really weird..._ Haru thought.

After saying a few more things, they were dismissed. "Go ahead and go home, I'll be there later." Fuyumaru smiled, and Haru walked out alone. Fuyumaru then went over to speak with Anko and Ibiki about some...things.

(I'm assuming it was the day after that they continued the exam, because they sky was sun-setting when Ibiki picked up all the tests, and blue skies when it showed the next exam)

Haru quietly walked back to his apartment, taking a shower as soon as he got home. A lot of the ninja in that exam were...unclean, and some reeked of blood.

...Even Gaara.

Haru sighed as he stood in the warm shower, cleaning himself off with a washcloth and his special mission soap. It was fern scented so that his scent could blend in with the nature for the next exam, the survival test. After his bath, he washed his clothes in the same soap, and plopped down onto his bed, his mind exhausted from today. "..." His lips parted for a moment before closing again, as if he was going to say something to himself. He usually does talk to himself when he's alone, to bring his thoughts "out", but...he didn't want to this time. He curled up on the blankets before pulling them over him, and sleeping.

Fuyumaru returned late that night, and went ahead and slept as he knew Haru would be asleep by the time he'd return.

* * *

The next morning, all the Genin came to the meeting place of the exam...and before them, was the famous Forest of Death.

Haru had previously heard of this place from Fuyumaru, but he's never seen it for himself. Many ninja were intimidated by it's ominous, looming appearance. Though...there were some who weren't even phased. Haru knew it was life or death in there...and knew that he'd have to keep his guard up at all times if he is to survive. After some commotion with the other ninja and Anko's lecture, every Genin was given a consent form.

After a small while, everyone began handing in their filled out forms, along with Haru. After handing in a form, each ninja was given back a scroll that was either marked Earth and Heaven. He was given an earth scroll. These scrolls were kept hidden in their ninja gear pouches.

Each team of ninja were put at a gate, and Haru was at gate 21...and if he were honest, he was a bit scared of what was to come inside the forest...

But, Fuyumaru was there, and he reassured that he'd be safe, and gave him some advice.

After feeling more motivated and reassured, Haru prepared to make a run for it as soon as the gates opened. The two ninja unlocked the gate, and then stood aside... _5...4...3...2...1_

 _"Go Haru!"_

The gate opened, and Haru quickly ran. First things first: make his way into the forest. Once the first tree came up, he leapt onto the branches, going from branch to branch with great speed, sometimes flipping in the air. He was very nimble. It was around twenty minutes until he finally stopped to catch his breath that was far gone. He sat down and leaned against the tree he was on, heaving his breath as he brought out a bottle of water, taking a drink before sitting up, his ears perked to the sound of a team approaching. He quickly hid on the branch, laying low on it as he watched for the team to show up. The team eventually showed up, appearing to have been running for a long time. Haru waited for a moment to see if they had a heaven or earth scroll...

"Hahh...hahh...alright...all we need is a...heaven scroll, right? We gotta keep looking..." He said, before running off with the other two following close behind.

If they were searching for an heaven scroll, it meant they had an earth scroll...which isn't what Haru needed. He sighed in defeat, laying lazily on the branch for a moment before sitting up and leaning back onto the branch...but he then had an idea.

He whistled out a bird call.

...And sure enough, the sparrow flew from the trees up to his fingers, perching onto them. Haru smiled as the bird looked at him. Haru whistled a few tunes to the bird, and then it flew off. He had grown a bond with the bird, and eventually it learned how to search for things for him. All Haru had to do now, was wait for the sparrow to return. He really hoped that eventually she'd find something...but he had no problem waiting awhile. Soon, an hour had past...

...And the sparrow returned with good news.

* * *

 **Goodygoodygoody Haru's making so far! And has a little friend to help him out as well. Review and stuff, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand stay tuned for next chap!  
**


	6. The Little Wolf

**Haru wants to keep most of his identity hidden, but wants to help out a certain team that's pretty much gonna die either way. ENJOY!**

* * *

Haru's sparrow had searched the area, and saw a battle taking place below. She had perched herself in a tree, and observed for awhile before taking her leave once the battle intensified, returning back to Haru. Haru lifted his hand so she could perch once again, and she chirped and sang to him before flying again, but this time urging him to follow. Haru smiled, getting up and getting ready to follow, but stopping and flinching at the sound of a scream. His ears perked, and he rushed into the direction of the scream, slowing down as he got close, and stopping as the other ninja came into view.

He saw Sasuke and Sakura...but something was terribly wrong.

Sasuke was in terrible pain, and Naruto was pinned to a tree by a kunai, unconscious. Haru's brows furrowed with concern as Sasuke too went unconscious. Sakura became very afraid and panicked...the sight tore him apart, but he too had his own problems of finding a scroll, and on his own...but he couldn't just leave her here alone. He had to do something...anything at least. He struggled to come up with a plan.

Time was running out...

He watched as Sakura attempted to call out to Naruto, but to no avail, her cries causing the crows from nearby to flee. Things looked grim for her, and her chances of survival slim. She began to cry, not knowing what to do...and that's all it took for Haru to make up his mind. He took a deep breath, and used the transformation jutsu to hide his identity, and take the form of a grey wolf, similar to Fuyumaru, but a bit smaller.

Haru came down from the height of his branch down to Sakura, the loud thud of his landing quickly catching her attention.

Of course, she quickly assumed he was an enemy, and she shakily drew a kunai, pointing it at him while crying and trembling.

 _That's not very threatening..._ Haru chuckled in his mind before walking past her, and jumping over to Naruto. He swiftly grabbing Naruto's jacket, and jerked him off the tree, the kunai falling down to the forest floor. Haru walked over to Sakura, placing Naruto gently down by her before sitting patiently. With this, he hoped she wouldn't see him as a threat anymore.

And that she did.

Now seeing that he wasn't a threat, she trusted him to carry Naruto as she carried Sasuke, but she wasn't quite sure where to go, and where was safe...Haru sniffed the air though, and quickly found a good spot to hide for awhile. He motioned his head for her to follow. "...Do...Do you want me to follow you...?" She asked, and Haru nodded. Haru then picked up Naruto in his jaws, and Sakura followed him with Sasuke. He led Sakura to a tree trunk which was hollowed out.

Once at the trunk, she set things up for the two. It was going to be hard for her still, but at least Haru found her a safe place. "...Thank you for helping us, um...little wolf." Sakura thanked him, Haru nodding in response. She then cared for the two unconscious ones, occasionally wondering if the wolf was someones nin-kin. Haru soon exited the trunk, and ran away so he could release the jutsu. After getting to a safe distance, Haru released the transformation to save chakra, sighing and taking a drink of water from the bottle he had in his pouch. He was glad he could help them at least a little bit...though he was a bit sad they'll never know it was him. It could've been a good way to make some friends, but friends were Haru's least concern right now in this exam...it was still a matter of life and death in this forest, and he had to find another scroll. For tonight, he'll rest, but for the morning, he'll head back out in search.

He set up himself a "camp" high up in the trees, making sure it was safe, before laying down on the branch to rest before sleeping. However...Sakura sat there for awhile, thinking about that wolf and how familiar it looked...but then it hit her. "Wait...that fur coat...little wolf..." She gasped. "Haru...?" She began to wonder if it was really him. As she wondered, Haru thought about just how hard these exams are...and just how much of a target he is. He's the youngest in the Chunin exams this time, and he's physically weak. He didn't have any muscle practically...and if he went up against a taijutsu ninja...he'd surely fail.

And being youngest again, he was made a target for many other older, experienced Genin.

His top priority right now, is to find another scroll, and get past this exam...

* * *

Haru slowly opened his eyes, slowly waking up. _Wh...where am I...? Wait!_ Haru thought at first as he saw trees, but quickly jolted awake, fully alert, breathing frantically. _I-I'm in the Chunin survival test...yeah...I can't let my guard down..._ He thought, calming down his breathing and frantic heart pounding. After regaining his composure, he sat up, drank some water, ate some snacks, and stood up, stretching a bit. _Alright...today I have to find a scroll._ He thought, jumping from his branch and swiftly continuing his search with the aid of his sparrow. He kept his speed up for a long time, barely taking breaks, until his sparrow flew beside him chirping for him to follow. As he did, once he came to a stop upon a high tree branch, he looked down below in the opening to see what she had spotted.

...He recognized that presence.

He squinted his eyes to see so far down, he saw who it was...

...Gaara.

* * *

 **WELP Haru tried. Sakura's gonna need a shit ton of luck. Stay tuned for the next chap  
**


	7. Sand Soaked in Blood

**Bloody title = bloody chapter. Gonna be a bit of fighting in this one, so hope you like poorly explained battle scenarios! ENJOY!  
**

* * *

Haru looked down at Gaara with sweat drizzling down his face chills running up him. Even with his previous feelings towards the Sand Genin...this feeling of malice and bloodlust in his chakra was frightening. Haru knew that Gaara was severely dangerous, along with his siblings...he knew that it was life or death in the Chunin survival exams. But...he couldn't shake this feeling of sadness in his heart from seeing Gaara's anger and bloodlust. Seeing him so...different from long, long ago...was painful. Haru fully remembered who Gaara was now...but it only made it more painful now.

Haru swallowed as he saw who he faced off with.

Rain Genin started with badly remarking the Sand, but this didn't phase Gaara...he only had bloodlust in his eyes. Those sea green eyes...Haru knew the pain that was hidden behind them. Loneliness...anger...sadness...Haru frowned as he watched, not wanted to watch, but forcing himself to. He didn't know why, but he had to watch.

It was a deadly stand off...tension was heavy in the air.

Kankura tried to convince Gaara to back off, but failed. "I don't care. They looked at me the wrong way, so their gonna die." Gaara said with a dark tone. Haru's brows furrowed with concern. _Gaara..._ He thought.

This battle is going to get bloody...and fast.

...Hopefully though, they have the scroll Haru needs.

The Rain Genin were to first to make a move...

And the battle began.

The Rain ninja seemed to use a specific jutsu to his country, using special ninja tools like umbrellas and needles, forming a rainstorm of them. The needles poured down, but a shield of sand formed around Gaara, completely protecting him. Gaara didn't even have to move, as the sand had moved as if it had a will of its own. The Rain ninja repeated his attack, but to only fail against Gaara's shield. Kankuro went on to explain how the sand functioned, and it sort of reminded Haru of his Kekkei Genkai...

 _...How ironic...sand and snow...almost like yin and yang._ Haru thought for a moment, but was quickly taken away from his thoughts. "Sand Coffin!" Gaara had yelled, and the sand quickly moved to his words, completely devouring one of the Rain ninja, immobilizing him.

Haru watched as Gaara stepped forward, picking up one of the umbrella's and holding it over his shoulder.

He explained how easy it would be to just quietly suffocate the ninja with the sand, but doing so would be boring...and so the sand lifted the ninja high into the air. "...Sand Burial!" Gaara yelled with a darker tone, and the sand compressed, crushing the ninja alive. The bloodcurdling scream caused shivers to run down Haru's spine, hearing it echo in his head. As soon as the sand had compressed, the blood-soaked sand began to fall like crimson rain. Haru watched in fear as the sand fell from the air, the umbrella Gaara held keeping him out of it's way. Haru swallowed with sweat drizzling down his face. Gaara had went on to talking, but Haru was caught in the sight of it all. The murder in cold blood...it had him in shock.

The two other ninja of the team had come forward, offering their Heaven scroll as truce, and pleaded for the Sand Genin to spare them.

...But Gaara paid them no mind. He repeated exactly what he did to the other ninja, and the sand rained again with blood.

The whole team was taken down...with only one of the Sand Genin even lifting a finger, and coming out without a scratch. Once the "fight" was over, Kankuro picked up the scroll with a grin. They must've had an earth scroll. Haru finally snapped out of his shock, and had to think fast. _Should I go for it? Is it too dangerous? Ugh...what should I do...they're so strong...I'd instantly lose in a fight...and if I ran, they'd definitely chase me until I'd be exhausted. But...I'm running out of time...I NEED a scroll...I can't waste another chance...I have to go for it._ Haru took a deep breath, wiping away the sweat, and crouching down onto the branch. He prepared himself for a speedy grab-and-go.

He waited for the perfect moment to strike...

As soon as he found an opening, he leapt with a burst of speed, jumping to the ground and snatching the scroll from Kankuro's hand before attempting to run away, which was a fetal mistake in the open area where he was completely open to be attacked. "Eh?! Oh no you don't you little brat!" Kankuro had grunted, and then growled with anger, quickly turning around towards Haru. He swiftly used his chakra threads to grab ahold of Haru's ankle, and yank him to the ground. "Nnng...!" Haru grunted as his face hit the dirt. Panicking, he whirled around and flipped to his feet. He swallowed nervously as he saw that Kankuro was extremely pissed off, and Gaara's eyes gleaming with the hunger for a fight.

 _...This really is bad..._

* * *

 **WELL SHIT HARU YOU'RE DOING A BANG UP JOB ON NOT _GETTING YOURSELF GODDAMN KILLED_  
**


	8. Sand and Snow

**Well shit Haru XD now you have to fight against your boyfriend over a piece of paper.** **ENJOY~!  
**

* * *

The air was very tense, Haru's nervous sweat coming back as he glanced back and first between Gaara and Kankuro, thinking that maybe Kankuro was going to be the first to attack due to his anger. "Why you little...I'm gonna-!" Kankuro growled as he reached back to grab his weapon, but paused as Gaara stepped in front of him. "Hey this is my fight, you already killed the last-" Kankuro's arguing was cut off as Gaara cast him a deadly glare over his shoulder. "...Ugh, fine..." Kankuro backed off, standing back with Temari.

"...You..." Gaara stared Haru down, his voice cold and emotionless.

Haru's ears twitched a little to his voice, but they laid back. Where Haru once felt love towards Gaara, fear was moving in...

"...You're different..." Gaara lowered his gaze, closing his eyes. Haru was caught off guard and was confused, not knowing what he meant, until... "...Your blood..." Gaara's voice was dark, causing Haru to shiver, and his heartbeat to turn frantic. Haru swallowed as he began to feel his legs quiver. _S-Stay focused...he can't kill me if I'm faster then the sand..._ Haru tried to reassure himself. "...I want to see it rain with your blood." Gaara looked back up to Haru, his eyes glaring and filled with bloodlust. Just as he spoke, his sand moving at lightning speed towards Haru with the intent to kill.

Haru sharply inhaled, snapping out of his fear and quickly evading the sand rushing at him, leaping to the side and skidding across the ground. But the sand was relentless, and he had to keep moving and dodging. Right now, Haru's agility was his only chance of survival...

...Unless he used his Kekkei Genkai.

Coming up with an idea, Haru performed hand seals while leaping in the air, clapping his hands together. As soon as he did, a pillar of ice formed quickly beneath him, bringing him on high on a perch. He took a deep breath, now having a chance to perform enough signs for one of his strongest jutsu. Kankuro and Temari were shocked, never having seen this sort of ability. "A Kekkei Genkai...? What the hell is this kid?" Temari said while in thought, eyeing the pillar. "Who cares...he's gonna die." Gaara growled as his sand began to make it's way up the tall pillar.

Haru performed all the hand signs, but suddenly paused at the last one.

 _...I...I can't..._ He thought to himself looking down at Gaara with a pained expression. He looked deep into his eyes...his heart began to ache just like before.

...He couldn't bring himself to fight, and put his hands down.

"What is he doing?" Kankuro said, raising a brow. Haru lowered his head, closing his eyes. Once he looked back up, just as the sand reached the top, he jumped down, landing perfectly in front of Gaara. He tossed him the scroll, Gaara quickly catching it with one hand. Haru bowed respectfully to him, before bursting into a small cloud of snow flurries. His actions were so sudden, it caught the other two completely off guard, but Gaara didn't seem to be phased as he stared at the scroll before tossing it back to Kankuro, who clumsily caught it. He stared at the ice pillar that soon burst into flurries as well.

Gaara lifted his hand as one of the flurries flew through the slight breeze onto it. Oddly, it didn't melt at the contact of his warm skin.

He just stared at it for a few moments...until the breeze blew it away, the flurry eventually disappearing.

Haru watched them from the shadows of a nearby tree, smiling softly. _...You're not a monster, Gaara._ He thought before silently slipping away to find himself a scroll, which was amazingly easy. He had stumbled across a full team that seemed to be under a genjutsu, and noticed their heaven scroll was opened. Haru rolled his eyes, knowing that no one was supposed to look at the scrolls contents. He simply closed his eyes and used his senses to get the scroll, close it, and peacefully take his leave.

But making his way to the tower wasn't easy...

Confrontations, traps, and almost everything imaginable hit him. By now he neared exhaustion, but to his luck, made it to the tower. Once inside, he sat down and tended to his wounds. Bruises, scars, slashes, but nothing serious. After cleaning his wounds, he continued further into the tower, seeing that other teams had made it as well. The Sand Genin, and some Leaf Genin. Once the successful teams had arrived, the next part of the exam would begin...

Which was only the preliminaries.

Each team lined up, and this exams proctor showed up to explain the details and rules. Now, anyone by themselves alone could choose to leave if they wished. Some did, bit there were still plenty left. After the few had left, the Hokage arrived to give the remaining ninja a long speech.

(...of which I REALLY don't feel like typing, because half the episode had nothing but talking about boring stuff...)

Now the proctor spoke about how the preliminaries were going to work. There were going to be several all-out duels between 2 Genin that were randomly chosen to fight, and the last one to go unconscious or give up wins. The winner were the ones who continued to the next part of the exam. The first round, was Sasuke against a Leaf ninja Haru wasn't familiar with. Before the battle started, everyone had to go the the upper level of the building so that they weren't in the way. The battle was long and hard fought, Sasuke being the winner just by an inch. He was taken away by medics so that he was treated for his wounds.

Next up, was Haru against a Leaf ninja.

Haru took a deep breath, calmly walking to the arena area and lining up with the other ninja who seemed to be very full of himself, and cocky...

Haru glared in return to the Genins attitude. _This idiot should know when to shut up..._ Haru thought. He hoped that this would be at least a fairly good fight. "Show him the strength of the Okamichi family..." Haru's ear twitched to the sound of a familiar voice, and he turned and looked up to see Fuyumaru watching from the upper level with a smile. Haru smiled, now feeling confident in himself to show everyone here what he's made of.

"Alright, the next round will be Haru of Mount Shingetsu against (ninja name I don't feel like making up) of the Hidden Leaf..." The proctor said with a slight cough. "Start!" He yelled before leaping back to observe.

Haru awaited for the other ninja to be the first to attack, so he bowed as a respectful greeting. "Keh, save the greetings for later kid...this fight's gonna be over very soon." He grinned, flipping up a kunai skillfully. Haru stood back up straight with a slight glare, getting into fighting stance.

 _It will...and I'm pretty sure you won't be standing by then._

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 **HARU YOU BETTER GOSH DIDDLY DARN BEAT THAT BITCHES ASS. Review and stuff, stay tuned for the next chap!  
**


	9. Dancing Ice Wolf Mirrors

**NOW IT'S TIME FOR HARU TO KICK SOME ASS! Haru's most likely going to get the shit beat out of him but ehhh he'll be fine -v- ENJOY!** **  
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Silence set over the air, right until the other ninja lunged at Haru with surprising speed, slashing with his kunai with a cocky grin. Haru flinched, bringing out his own kunai to block it, quivering under the physical strength of the older, and stronger Genin. He was never going to be able to win in a physical fight like this... "What's wrong kid? Don't got a lotta muscle under those clothes? Well, that'll just make things easier for me then..." He chuckled, and suddenly he brought out a second kunai with his other hand, slashing it across Haru's thigh. Haru yelped in pain and grit his teeth, glaring at the other ninja. Using his whole body weight, he pushed back the other ninja so he could take a chance to jump away and come up with a plan, but...

He suddenly felt very dizzy, and his thigh began to tingle.

 _W-What is this?_ He thought to himself, grunting as he fell onto one knee, grasping the cut. The other ninja laughed. "My kunai's are quite special! You see, their blades are infused with a poison. It's effects are nausea and numbing paralysis~" The ninja grinned toothily with an evil glare.

Haru breathed heavily as he felt the tingling spread down his leg to his foot, his thigh already numb. But he growled under his breath, forcing himself up, and he stood once more. The other ninja didn't like his endurance, and growled before suddenly throwing several shuriken at him. Haru just had to move a little to dodge each one, only tilting his head with one of them, the blade slicing one of his hairs clean off as it swished past him. "You little bastard..." The ninja growled again before flipping his kunai, and rushing towards Haru with the intent to kill. Haru took a deep breath, side stepping away to dodge, and counter as the ninja got close with a roundhouse kick, only to hit a shadow clone.

He gasped, and as soon as he turned around, the ninja slashed at his back, earning a cry.

Haru quickly jumped away, a hand reaching halfway around him to touch the corner of the deep gash. He panted, now getting tired from the cuts. The other ninja only grinned with an evil chuckle, continuously and relentlessly rushing at Haru again and again, landing more and more wounds on him.

By now, half of Haru's body was paralyzed and numb. Nearly his entire right side was immobile.

The ninja came at him with a loud laugh, and Haru wasn't able to dodge, so he crossed his arms in front of him to try and protect himself, only to feel a sharp and deep pain in his side. The kunai was plunged into him. Haru coughed jaggedly, coughing up blood, he moved to try and remove the kunai, but just as he tried, the ninja slashed at his face, forcing Haru to now keep one of his eyes shut as blood got into it. The ninja leapt back to see if that finished him off, growling again as he saw that it didn't.

Just as Haru seemed to be giving up, the ninja took the chance to rush at him one more time to finish him off while Haru was weak. He pushed Haru hard against the wall, earning a shout of pain. "Heh...gotchya kid." He grinned evilly, and grabbed the kunai that was lodged in Haru's side, shoving it in deeper. Haru yelled out in pain, coughing up more blood as his clothes were torn and soaked.

Fuyumaru watched painfully. _Haru...if this carries on I'll stop it myself!_ He thought, becoming extremely worried.

"You can't beat me kid, you're screwed! You'll be completely paralyzed in less then three minutes from now!" He laughed, twisting the kunai. Haru yelled again but sharply, blood dripping from all his wounds. _I-I have to use that jutsu...I have to!_ Haru thought, and the ninja backed off, holding the other kunai. "It's the end for you kiddo!" He said before lunging at Haru one more time. Haru smiled faintly as he leaned against the wall. He took a deep breath, yanking out the kunai and quickly performing single-handed handsigns. It was his last chance...he's losing blood, and mobility. Just as the ninja went to stab Haru, the wolf seemed to have fell past the wall. The ninja gasped, stopping and looking frantically around. "Wh...where the hell'd you go!?" He growled in anger. Fuyumaru who was just about to interfere, then smiled from the upper level, knowing very well what jutsu Haru's using.

The ninja looked forward, and now saw what Haru supposedly "fell" into.

It was an ice mirror, like Haku's.

The ninja stepped back, away from the mirror and into the middle of the room to look around for Haru, slowly, keeping his guard up.

...But soon, mirrors formed and surrounded him. He grunted, looking around at them all. Haru breathed heavily from within the mirror in the top right corner, but had a smile on his face. He performed more handsigns with one hand, and transformed into a grey wolf. He walked away, and then two mirrors showed him. He walked past again, and soon all the mirrors showed a wolf. The ninja looked around frantically, confused and angry.

The jutsu seemed to have shocked most of the spectators, some of them in awe.

"Wait...that's like Haku's jutsu!" Sakura exclaimed. "Whoa! Yeah you're right Sakura!" Naruto said from beside her. Fuyumaru smiled at their responses as he stood beside them. "Haru is Haku's cousin. He's part of the Yuki Clan, and is gifted with their Kekkei Genkai." He explained, both of the other two gasping. "No way!" Naruto looked over at the wolf. "Haru's jutsu is only similar to Haku's...it's a mix of two jutsu. Wolf Dance, and Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. Haru's jutsu here, is named Dancing Ice Wolf Mirrors." He explained again to the two of them. "So it's his own jutsu...?" Sakura asked. "In a manner of speaking...it's weaker then Haku's, but it fits into Haru's genre of skills, consumes less chakra, and takes a lesser amount of time to perform."

The wolves from each of the mirrors soon turned to the ninja, all barking to disorientate him. The ninja grit his teeth in frustration, turning back and forth, looking at the mirrors as the barking became louder. "Show yourself you coward!" He yelled, throwing a shuriken at a mirror, only for it to just fall to the floor. Sure enough, one of the wolves emerged from the mirror, and lunged at him. It's bite acted as a slash instead of a blunt hit before it returned to another mirror.

The ninja grunted as he grasped his now wounded arm. "Shit...!" He growled.

Time and time again, a wolf would lunge out and tear away at the ninja. But as the ninja began to get wounded, two wolves emerged from a mirror below him, slashing at him upwards and causing him to go into the air. Small mirror footings formed, and the wolves slashed back and forth in a fast crisscross motion before using downward footings to clamp their jaws down onto the ninja's arms, spiraling down with great speed.

With a fast corkscrew motion with the ninja's head facing down, they hit the ground of the arena, and the mirrors shattered.

A cloud of dust came up from the impact, the two wolves letting go at the last second and skidding across the floor in separate directions. One a clone, the other turning into Haru, who was on his knees. Once the cloud cleared, it showed how the ninja wasn't moving at all, his clothing all torn like it was cut with blades, and the ground cracked. Haru panted heavily, heaving his breath as he grasped onto his sides wound that was still bleeding.

"...And the winner of this round, Haru." The proctor announced.

And just as he announced the wolfs win, Haru's vision went blurry, and he fell over, breathing sharply. The paralysis was now in full effect, and he was immobile. "Haru!" Fuyumaru quickly jumped down to stand beside him as the medical ninja rushed in. Haru was unresponsive, and the ninja got him onto a transport bed, and quickly took him to get healed along with the other ninja. Fuyumaru followed as well to make sure he was alright.

As they took him away, Haru turned to look at Gaara.

Gaara was staring at him.

The look those sea-green eyes held...Haru knew he wasn't looking at him, but his blood.

And with that, his vision blacked out, and he went unconscious.

Fuyumaru had also noticed Gaara's intensive staring at Haru...he must've shown interest in Haru's blood, knowing that Genin. Fuyumaru became even more worried about Haru's feelings toward Gaara, unsure if it was the right thing...but he sighed, knowing Haru...

 _...Hopefully this won't cause any problems between them..._ He thought.

As they patched Haru up, he remained unconscious until they were finished. By then 3 rounds had passed. After more healing, he was allowed to spectate the preliminaries under Fuyumaru's close supervision. So that Haru didn't have to stand or sit on the hard floor, Fuyumaru laid down so Haru could lay comfortably on his back while they watched. Due to Haru's injuries, he could only wear his pants, socks, and arm warmers. He had to keep his shirt and bandanna off. Almost every bit of Haru's torso, arms and legs were bandaged. Even a bit on his face.

He was lucky to still be able to watch because of his side wound. It was a serious one, and just barely missed an organ.

Next round, was Shikamaru vs. Kin.

This will be pretty interesting.

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 **Welp told ya, Haru got the SHIT beat out of him but hey he lived and better yet he won XD Alright, so heads up, next chap won't be so much of detail of battle since it's just the typical rounds...but anyways, next up, the rest of the battles!  
**


	10. Preliminaries Finished

**...Alright short and simply put: Imma put the names of who was in the match, who won, yada yada. ENJOY!**

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Zaku Abumi vs. Shino Aburame. Shino won.

After, was Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankuro. Kankuro won quite easily.

Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka...both lost.

Tenten vs. Temari. Again as expected, the Sand sibling won...

Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi. Shikamaru won...unexpectedly with his brain.

Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka...Naruto won.

Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga...Neji won, but...the battle was very harsh.

Then...Gaara vs. Rock Lee.

It was a very hard fought battle for Lee. He had so much strength, and MUCH more speed then Haru would've ever imagined...but even with all his efforts, he failed...he even overheard the medical ninja say that he may not ever go back to being a ninja again. Gaara...Haru knew that something had to be done. Even if it wasn't him, someone had to reach out to him, and get him out of that pit of darkness and loneliness...

But never the less, the preliminaries continued.

Finally, the last battle, Dosu Kinuta vs. Choji Akimichi. Dosu won within minutes.

And with that, the preliminaries were finished.

All of the winners had to stand in line at the bottom level. With the help of Fuyumaru, Haru made it down, and stood by leaning against him at the far end of the right side. The Hokage stepped forward, and explained how everything will be working. In some short time of talking, he said the final part will take place one month from now, giving them all time to heal and train. Anko went from ninja to ninja, letting them pick out a folded paper from a bowl that had their fighting number on it. This determined the battles between them all. Haru picked a paper, looking at it's content...

...His face went pale.

...He was going to face whoever won the battle between _Sasuke and Gaara_...

He swallowed, cold sweat running down him, his legs trembling, and his heart racing. He placed a hand to his forehead, nearly about to faint.

 _This...this can't be right...those two two were among the strongest in the entire Chunin exams..I'll never win against them...I'm going to fail..._ Haru thought in his head, his breathing becoming fast and panicked. _T-This is bad...so very bad..._ He thought, but flinched as Fuyumaru leaned his head down to him. "Calm down...we will talk once we get home. Breathe slowly, it's alright." Fuyumaru soothed him, Haru's breath soon calming down as he leaned against Fuyumaru, the sweat going away, but he remained shaken.

After the group dispersed, Fuyumaru took Haru home on his back. The medical ninja said they'd sent Haru back his clothes after they're "repaired".

...But on the way home through the streets, Fuyumaru looked back at Haru. "...Haru...I'm fairly certain you know what I'm going to say..." Fuyumaru said with a serious tone. Haru lowered his head, looking away with his ears lowered. "...If you take part in the finals, the chances that you'll end up like Rock Lee are so high...it's just too dangerous..." He spoke softly.

Haru sighed very quietly, his head still lowered. "...If you truly wish to take part in the finals, you can...but you cannot _dare_ try to win the battle...so long as you partake in it, you will show the Kage your abilities...but that's it." Fuyumaru said, entering their apartment and shutting the door.

Haru remained quiet as he got off Fuyumaru, standing silently with his head down...

"...Promise me you won't get hurt..." Fuyumaru said softly. Haru stepped over and hugged Fuyumaru's neck.

"...Ok..." He whispered with the faintest voice.

Fuyumaru smiled ever so happily, leaning his head onto him. "...Good...after your wounds heal, we will start training for the finals."

Haru nodded.

* * *

 **OooooOOOOOOOOOOOOO! HARU SPOKE PEOPLE, HE FUCKIN SPOKETH. Haru will train more then ever before, and he is determined as heck to protect his husbando. Review and stuff!  
**


	11. The Demon Hungers

**Judging by the title, YUP, Gaara's hungry as hell for blood and he's sure as hell out to get it...maybe he just needs some McDonalds. ENJOY!  
**

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For the next four days, Haru had regular visits to the hospital to heal as fast as possible. As soon as he was able to start training, he trained hard. From learning true balance, manipulating and controlling liquid, chakra control, analysis tactics, stealth, and finally, taijutsu. He mostly improved in his physical abilities since that was his weak point. Even though it was painful, hard work he enjoyed every bit of it. Fuyumaru was a very good teacher.

Now, it was only a day away from the exams, and Fuyumaru said to take a break and rest. He'll need his energy for the finals.

Having the chance to freely explore on his own, Haru wandered all over the village, not doing much more then sight-seeing.

As he did as he pleased around the village, Fuyumaru was off taking care of some business. Haru's little stroll around the village was rather peaceful, as the town had a certain feel of tranquility...even with the Chunin finals coming up. Today, the air was fresh, and the breeze even better...but that feeling of tranquility soon left, as Haru paused his walking. He sensed something...it was ominous. Something was wrong. Closing his eyes, Haru tried to pinpoint the location of the chakra...

It came from the hospital.

He hesitated before running, knowing that Fuyumaru wouldn't want him to get into trouble...but he couldn't just stand around and do nothing, so without another thought, he dashed off to the hospital. As he neared the entrance to the building, he quickly stopped himself, knowing that he'd have to talk to get to the room he wanted to go. He slowly backed away from the door, and snuck around the building to the backside, looking for the specific rooms window. When he found it, he was shocked to see who was standing inside...

Gaara.

 _What...what is he doing there? None of his siblings were hurt...wait...Lee!_ Haru thought, and panicked as he saw sand start to pour from Gaara's gourd. Without even thinking, his body moved on it's own. Haru leapt up to the windowsill, placing his right foot on the nightstand and the other onto the head of the bed, his had gripping Gaara's wrist firmly. He exhaled a shaky breath. The was the first time he physically grabbed Gaara, and it felt...scary. Much to Haru's surprise, there were two other people in the room by the entrance. Shikamaru and Naruto. But his attention was brought back to Gaara as he grunted... "...I can't move...my body..." He growled, staring at Haru's hand on his wrist...before suddenly being punched in the face by Naruto. When he staggered from the hit, Haru released his wrist and jumped over to where Shikamaru stood, who also groaned in pain as if he was hit as well.

"What the heck do you think you're doing in here you rat!" Naruto growled in anger.

"Hey man, _go easy!_ I'm using my Shadow Possession Jutsu so when you're bashing him, you're bashing me too! You got it?" Shikamaru growled. Naruto apologized, but went back to glaring at Gaara...then turned at Haru, just now noticing him. "...Who are you?" He raised a brow. Haru just gave him a slightly coy smile, scratching the back of his head...then his ear twitched.

They then both looked back forward, and saw Gaara's cheek cracked, and sand crumbling to the floor. It must've been a protective layer of sand... "Out with it. What were you trying to pull?" Naruto growled, obviously impatient.

...Silence filled the room...

"...Well? Are you gonna tell us what you were gonna do!?" Naruto growled again, his fists shuddering with anger. "...I was going to kill him..." Gaara responded, not at all phased with the fact it was three against one.

"...What...?" Naruto's once loud voice was now a whisper, and Shikamaru grunted again. Haru furrowed his brows...Gaara...the feeling he had before about Gaara...he just felt a deep urge to try and help him...

"You already beat him once in a competition. What's your problem? Wasn't that enough for you? Do you have some kind of personal grudge against him or something?" Shikamaru glared at him. "I have nothing against him. Nothing that complicated I simply wanna kill him that's all." Gaara explained as if he said it everyday...which would probably be true.

And with that response, Naruto and Shikamaru said he was sick in the head, selfish, psycho, _and_ crazy...which was probably true as well, but...Haru continued to just stand there on the sidelines...quietly.

"If you don't stay out of my way I will have to kill you three as well." Gaara stated, and Naruto burst out. "Oh really!? Well lets just see you try it!" Naruto held up his fist, making Shikamaru panic and tell him to calm down...but then he came up with a plan.

He started bluffing.

"Yeah yeah, we watched your last match against Lee we know you're tough...but you know, Naruto and I have a few tricks up our sleeves as well. We were holding back during the competition. There are things you haven't seen yet..." Shikamaru said, and it seemed real enough to work. Haru stayed quiet, his face continuing to be serious. "On top of that, hey, it's three against one, so don't be a fool okay? Just take my advice and go...quietly..." Shikamaru finished, but...it didn't work.

Gaara threatened to kill them yet again...and Naruto still tried giving it right back to him, Shikamaru again needing to tell him to back off, saying that Gaara was like a demon...Naruto only got more cocky. "He can act like a demon if he wants to but you know what? I got the real thing inside of me." He grinned. Haru then slightly smiled.

He had such spirit and confidence...it was very inspiring.

Haru had an idea about the story of the Demon Fox...so it didn't surprise him too much when Naruto briefly mentioned it.

Shikamaru hit him with his elbow, and whispered to him to leave it to him, but...Haru stared into Gaara's eyes, and...somewhere...he could see a child sitting alone, swinging on a swing with no one around...

...Without that little sandcastle beside him...

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 **More and more little spoilers~ Well done Haru you managed to once again get in trouble. Review and stuff, stay tuned for next chap!  
**


	12. Please Remember Me

**Boy oh boy there's lotsa talking in this one. Hope ya'll don't mind these guys' ted talk...** **ENJOY!  
**

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"My demon is as real as yours is..." Gaara lowered his head. "...From my birth, my upbringing was not what most people would consider a happy one. To ensure that I became the strongest of shinobi, my father had cast his ninjutsu on me...infusing my unborn self with a sand spirit. I destroyed the life of the woman who gave birth to me...I was born a monster." He looked back up, giving them a dark, cold, emotionless stare.

Both Naruto and Shikamaru's blood ran cold at his words.

Haru looked down to the floor, his heart once again feeling that aching pain...even though Gaara was dangerous and unstable...Haru never truly, truly feared him.

"It's name is Shukaku, and it's the living incarnation of an old monk of the Sand Village who'd been sealed up in a jar of tea." Gaara continued, and Shikamaru swallowed nervously. "Yeah, some kind of demonic jutsu...but to use it on a baby? Before it's even born? Man that's creepy...gee, what a swell guy your dad must've been. He really must've loved you a lot..." Shikamaru continued.

"...You speak of love...? Don't measure me by your standards...love...family...the only emotional ties I have to my family, are the ones I'd like to wrap around their necks. They're only ties of hate." Gaara stared coldly at them, speaking more and more...then he came to a silence...

"...Then what? Are you gonna tell us or not?...So go on! What started, what was it!?" Naruto growled.

...Gaara began to grin insanely.

"In the six years since I became six years old, my father has tried to destroy me more times then I can count!" He growled. The other two gasped in shock, but Haru remained silent, his ears and head lowered. Gaara seemed to have noticed, but didn't pay it much mind...other then being slightly curious inside.

At this point, Haru had noticed that it was starting to effect Naruto...

"...Then in time the answer came to me...to put it simply, my reason for living is in the killing of others. For years I lived in fear of those who were sent to murder me, but now I am at peace...I've killed many wimpy assassins, and it was while I was doing it that the truth was made clear to me...I live solely for myself, I love only myself. As it was the death of my mother that first gave me life, now it is the death of others that sustains me, that makes me almost happy to be alive...and there's no end to it...as long as there are still people to kill in this great, wide, crowded world...I will never disappear."

Shikamaru grunted, trembling slightly.

Naruto was seemed to be completely out of it.

But Haru stood quietly, his eyes closed as he brows furrowed into a glare. _You lie so much these days don't you...this isn't peace, Gaara...you know it isn't..._ He thought. Even as Gaara's sand began to move again to attack them, Haru shut his eyes tight. _This isn't you Gaara...please...don't do this!_ He thought. The shadow possession was still on Gaara...but the sand moved on its own, and Gaara had that old look of insanity and blood lust.

Haru flinched as the sand came close, but suddenly jumped and opened his eyes wide, looking over to the entrance of the room.

"Alright that's enough." Guy came in, and the sand suddenly stopped. Haru stared for a moment in shock, but before he was able to really get in trouble with the Jonin, he swiftly and quickly exited through the window. He let out a long sigh of relief, but as he turned to leave, he bumped into Fuyumaru. "..." ...From the look of his face, he wasn't too happy.

Haru looked down and lowered his ears, avoiding the eyes of the wolf staring down at him. Haru obediently got onto Fuyumaru's back, and the wolf began walking home. "...I know you have deep feelings for Gaara...but I need you to realize and accept that he's _dangerous_...one wrong step around him could kill you...you must understand me Haru." Fuyumaru looked back at Haru with a concerned gaze. Haru looked over to the side, his ears lowered. He couldn't just give up on Gaara...not now. "...I can't just...leave him..." He spoke in an ever so quiet voice. Fuyumaru sighed in response. "Resorting to speaking will not change my mind Haru...please understand that I'm just trying to protect you for your safety...and his." Fuyumaru said more softly as he neared their apartment, opening the door and going inside with Haru. Haru slowly shut the door before quietly walking to his room. He sat on his bed, staring out the window with a sorrowful expression.

 _"...I live solely for myself, I love only myself..."_

 _...You made a promise to me Gaara..._

 _...Please, remember me..._

 _...Please...remember..._

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 **Remember...REMEMBER WHAT? REMEMBER WHAT? Next up is the long awaited finals. Review and stuff, and stay tuned.  
**


	13. The Finals: Round One Begins

**Fuyumaru doesn't quite trust Gaara and is very worried about Haru...but if it's one thing about Haru, it's that he won't give up on things he's determined to help, and he's gonna help his husbando. ENJOY!  
**

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Haru quietly laid on his bed, staring out his window at the full moon. It's light reminded him of Mount Shingetsu's nights...they were always so quiet and serene. It was about 1:29am now, but it was almost impossible to sleep knowing that the finals were tomorrow...especially with knowing who he might face.

Just like how it was back at Mount Shingetsu, it was very quiet...

He sighed, turning over onto his back above his bed sheets. He couldn't get his mind off of the things Gaara had said...

Eventually Haru sat up from his bed, climbing off and standing beside his window. He really wanted some fresh air, so he opened it...but instead of just opening it, he climbed out, and onto the roof of the building. He never liked staying in confined spaces when his mind was active. Luckily, the roof was similar to the other buildings where it was flat and accessible. He walked over to a large vent that came up from the roof, and sat down on it, looking up at the moon. He brought his knees up close to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. The night air was crisp and fresh, but was a bit cold. Even with it's chill, Haru didn't seem to get cold, mainly due to living in a much colder place for all his life.

...But even from the rooftop, everything was quiet.

The silence surprised him since it was in such a large village. It was as if the area where he lived wasn't as active as the other parts of the village. His mind continued to boggle with such thoughts, until his eyes had laid upon the moon once more.

...He had a strange feeling that he wasn't the only one staring at the moon that night...but maybe it was just a stupid feeling. After about 10 minutes of peace and quiet, he got back up, and went back to his room, shutting the window and laying back down onto his bed. _...What is this feeling...it's like my heart won't let me rest..._ He thought as he turned onto his side, closing his eyes. He let out another sigh, grabbing the sheets out from under him and pulling them over him to warm up a bit from the cold outside air.

"...Fuyumaru..." He asked within his mind. "...You should be asleep at this hour, Haru." Fuyumaru had replied. "...Am...I doing the right thing...? Holding onto...such memories..." Haru asked. Even with his telepathic voice, it was ever so quiet and weak, almost inaudible. "There's nothing wrong with holding onto such sweet memories...and yes, I know of the ones you speak of...you cherish them dearly...along with the friend you had made that day." Fuyumaru said with his own voice soft, like a coo. "...It hurts seeing him like this...it hurts seeing him in so much...turmoil..." Haru said, his voice a bit shaken. It pained him to even say it with his own words to Fuyumaru. "...I know...you have always had a kind but fragile heart, but that's what makes you who you are." Fuyumaru said, smiling from where he laid in the other room. Haru smiled as well. "...Thank you Fuyumaru..."

* * *

Soon the sun had broke the night, and it became dawn. Birds began to sing, and the light began to shine through Haru's window. Since the finals were in the evening, he had some time to sleep in. Eventually Haru blinked his eyes open, sitting up and yawning with a stretch. He looked out his window, almost thinking he was in a dream at first, being so used to waking up to a snowy white forest.

...But this time waking up to a bustling village.

He blankly stared out his window for a moment. _...I hate living where there's so many people._ He thought with a huff before getting out of bed and getting some clothes to go take a fresh shower. He was happy to wear his usual scent instead of his blending scent. His favorite was vanilla. After his refreshing bath, he put on his ninja clothes and headed into the kitchen, walking past Fuyumaru with a smile. Fuyumaru had already eaten, and was resting by the TV. "You'll need energy for the finals, so best you eat well this morning." Fuyumaru said as he stood and stretched from laying down. Haru nodded as he fixed his usual breakfast again. After eating, they set off to the finals arena. They didn't arrive late, so the ninja guarding the entrance allowed them to pass. After entering, Fuyumaru walked over to where the Genin were lined up. Haru hopped off, giving Fuyumaru a hug. "Good luck little wolf...and please don't forget to give up if you get too hurt." Fuyumaru smiled, nuzzling Haru before walking away to the spectating area.

Haru smiled, walking over to line up with the rest of the ninja, now standing on the far left.

Once he lined up, another ninja that was late eventually showed up as well, but a few were still absent. After the proctor announced to quiet down and stand straight, the spectators howled with applause, eager to watch the battles that were soon going to begin. Soon the Kazekage showed up in the Kage's spectating area along with the Hokage. As Haru watched them sit down in their seats, his ear twitched, and he looked over to Gaara.

He was glaring intensely, growling even.

...It didn't surprise him much though, considering what Gaara had told him about his father, and everything he had done to him...

Haru furrowed his brows, now getting a bad feeling about the Kazekage. Soon the Hokage spoke to the arena's spectators with a sort of microphone, which seemed fine...until the sound reached Haru's ears. He grunted, grasping an ear as it felt as if his eardrum was being torn apart by needles and knives. He moved his hand to look at it, and sure enough it had blood. The sound was so sharp in his ears that they began to bleed. But the Hokage spoke again, and Haru grasped at both his ears that were in immense pain. _T-The frequency is too high...my ears are tearing themselves apart!_ He thought. By now some of the ninja cast glances over to him, wondering what was wrong with him.

"You there, What's wrong?" The proctor asked. Haru shook his head, waving his hand a bit to gesture it's fine. The proctor squinted at him, unsure whether or not he was actually alright...

"Haru you must focus your hearing on something to block out the frequency!" Fuyumaru said to Haru telepathically. Haru grit his teeth. "I-I'm...trying..." He said, heaving his breath as he was breathing jaggedly from the pain. "Focus on a lower frequency... _focus on a heartbeat._ " Fuyumaru said again, and Haru nodded frantically, trying to do so. He took deep but shaken breaths, trying to focus on the sound of someones heartbeat. He didn't know exactly whose it was, but as he listened and focused, the pain faded away, and all other sounds became silent.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the rhythm of the persons heart.

...It was calming.

After finally calming down, he opened his eyes, moving his hands away from his ears. He twitched his ears to see whose heart it was, and he turned to look beside him. His eyes widened with shock right before his cheeks began to flare up like wildfires.

 _I...I was listening...to Gaara's heart!?_ He thought, and while he didn't notice, Fuyumaru was snickering from the spectating area. "...Got him." He said in between snickers.

...But the laughing was short lived.

Just as Haru began to calm back down from his flustered state, he grunted and grasped his chest. Gaara's blood had begun pumping and his heartbeat quickened. It was his excitement for battle. The fast pace and the feeling of such bloodlust caused Haru to feel sick in his stomach, and his chest to ache.

Fuyumaru knew that this wasn't good, and was about to go down and get Haru...

But Haru soon raised his hand, getting the proctors attention. Fuyumaru gasped under his breath, thinking that he was wanting to quit, but Haru only sat down, getting out a bottle of water from his pouch and drinking some of it. _...Hm...seeing from where this kid's from, the sun's probably getting to him..._ The proctor thought, but then went back to talking. The Hokage had stopped using his microphone, so Haru's ears were fine now, even if they bled a bit. Haru also took the time to clean the blood off with a bit of water.

After the proctor announced for the ninja to go to the spectating area while the chosen two prepare to fight, Haru got up and slowly walked to Fuyumaru. "Are you alright?" He asked, Haru slowly nodding a few times before sitting down.

He sat by the railing of the spectating area, his legs dangling over the edge as he watched the first fight: Naruto against Neji.

Much to his surprise, Naruto had won...but something made Haru feel uneasy.

It wasn't the Kazekage or Gaara, but it was something else...something was off. Haru's brows furrowed, a bit concerned about this ever so present feeling. He wondered what it was...however, even with such worries, the fighting continued to the next round down below.

...But he couldn't shake that uneasy feeling away.

* * *

 **THERE YOU GO HARU, SPOILING SHIT WITH YOUR SENSES -*ahem* review and stuff, stay tuned for next chap  
**


	14. Somethings Wrong

**ROUND TWO OF THE FINALS! Sasuke doesn't show for his and Gaara's round, causing some mishap in the arena...BUT IT STILL CONTINUES REGARDLESS IS THE STUPID DINGBAT IS LATE! ENJOY!  
**

* * *

The next round was supposed to be Gaara's and Sasuke's, but it was postponed due to Sasuke still being absent.

It may have caused the crowds of spectators to greatly disapprove, but nothing could be done about it...

But to make matters worse, Kankuro forfeited his match with Shino. By the time it was Temari and Shikamaru's match, Shikamaru was shoved into the arena by Naruto. As the battle instantly began, the crowds threw heaps of garbage at Shikamaru...oh how mature of them...but what's even worse, is that since Temari's weapon was based around Wind Style and caused large gusts of wind, of course some of those gusts hit the spectators...

...But it ended up completely ruining Haru's hair.

Haru groaned, having spent a long time fixing his hair earlier that morning. Fuyumaru chuckled in amusement as Haru struggled to fix it back, failing multiple times as the wind had hit him over and over, making his hair even worse. Haru growled, ending up aggressively fixing his hair which somehow worked.

Even with such struggles, the battle had continued on. It was an interesting match as Shikamaru proved to be extremely smart, even if he had forfeited in the end. Chances are he'll most likely get to become a Chunin with that match. However...Sasuke has yet to arrive. As Gaara waited in the spectating area near Haru, it was noticeable that he was getting a bit impatient.

Thirty seconds ticked away as the crowd began to become fussy again.

Sasuke's absence was seeming to cause some trouble...

"Alright, the time limit has expired, so I'm officially calling this match-" The proctor was suddenly cut off as a whirlwind of leaves appeared on the other side of the arena. Sure enough, it was Sasuke and Kakashi. _I know that there's a thing about being "fashionably late"...but this is just ridiculous._ Haru thought from the spectating area, a bit disappointing. "I told you he'd come..." Gaara said with a matter of fact tone.

Kakashi had apologized to the proctor, saying that there was traffic.

Sounds just like Kakashi...

As Haru was focused on watching, he suddenly felt that unease again. He tried to shrug it off, but it didn't work. He flinched a bit as Fuyumaru suddenly whispered to him. "...I feel it as well. Something seems off...but I'm afraid we'll have to wait and see what happens." He said, Haru nodding in response.

The spectators were roaring with applause with the arrival of Sasuke, knowing that the long awaited fight would soon begin.

Haru noticed that Sasuke had changed a little. His hair was a bit longer, and his outfit was different. Haru turned to look at Gaara, and saw how he held that crazed look of bloodlust once more. Haru knew he'd make that expression again. Gaara was going to finally fight the person he was eager to fight the whole month, so it was as expected. As Gaara was about to head down to the arena, Shikamaru and Naruto were on their way back up...but then Haru's ear twitched to the sound of Kankuro's voice.

"Okay, listen Gaara...don't let him throw off the plan-" Kankuro said with a worried tone but was cut off by Temari holding his mouth shut with her hand.

Gaara remained silent as he left to the stairs. "...Now's not the time to talk to him...not unless you want to get yourself killed..." Temari said to Kankuro once Gaara left. Haru furrowed his brows, hearing their words...

 _...Plan...?_ He wondered, now getting very concerned.

Something was definitely up, and he wasn't liking it.

Haru's thinking was put on hold as his ear twitched yet again, hearing two other people in the hall Gaara went into. He heard faint talking about how they bet on Sasuke to win, and so were going to force Gaara to lose. Haru prepared himself to hear Gaara mercilessly kill them on the spot...

Without surprise, he heard the blood curdling screams from the hallway.

Even with preparing for it, it gave him chills...

The Sand Genin continued down to the arena, he squared up with Sasuke. "Begin!" The proctor yelled before jumping back. As soon as he did, Gaara's sand went into action...but he started...talking to someone. Haru furrowed his brows as he figured it may have been Shukaku...but he said "mother". This added to Haru's confusion, but after a few minutes, Gaara seemed to have calmed down, and fought seriously. As Haru watched, his eyes locked onto Sasuke's movements. It became obvious that Sasuke's speed was increased drastically, and his fighting had improved. By now, he had already been able to land two hits on Gaara without getting injured by the sand. Soon enough, he was hitting Gaara left and right.

The battle quickly became intense and heated between the two powerful ninja, but Haru's excitement for watching the battle quickly stopped, and his heart sank. He swallowed, sweating a little bit as he began to slightly quiver...

 _I-I...I'm going to face...the winner of this battle..._ He thought, and his previous confidence from before was shattered. These two were way out of his league...even if he fought a little bit to show his ability and then forfeit, it'd be extremely dangerous.

 _What...what do I do...!?_

* * *

 **OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MAN THIS BATTLES GOOD! YOU GOT THIS GAARA MAN, YOU GOT THIS! Also big RIP to Haru he's gonna be beat to hell and back if he goes for that round. Review and stuff, and stay tuned for next chapter  
**


	15. Insanity, Siege, Blackout

**Gee thanks Haru your senses are gonna end up spoiling everything you little shit. ENJOY!**

* * *

A deadly silence fell across the arena as the two stood for awhile, both now getting tired and panting.

Gaara then performed a jutsu, and the sand formed around him, making a dome-shaped shield. Whenever Sasuke attempted to attack it, spikes formed out, and they almost hit him...or so he thought. Haru gasped slightly as he spotted blood pour from his thigh, hand and cheek. The spikes must've got him. Haru heard as Naruto told Kakashi to stop the match, and turned to the Sand siblings to see that they only had expressions full of fear.

...Somethings clearly wrong.

Haru felt shivers run down his spine as he looked around...

Something very bad is about to happen...every bone in his body screamed it...

Sasuke attempted to hit the dome countless times, only ending up failing. It was a long while of waiting before Sasuke had suddenly ran up the arenas wall, stopping to perform handsigns. Haru was curious as to what he was doing, but everything else was making him very uneasy. He had shivers, and cold sweat drizzling from his temples. As Sasuke performed the Chidori in the palm of his hand, Haru was very close to just getting up and walking out of the arena, but something inside him made him stay and watch, even with nearly all his senses screaming danger.

He swallowed as he watched Sasuke run down the wall, the Chidori causing some of the wall to crack on his way down.

Haru swallowed, the chills becoming almost violent as he watched Sasuke near Gaara's dome, and then...

...Dead on hit.

The Chidori broke clean through the shield.

Haru's heart nearly stopped, and a silence fell across the entire arena. "...That's impossible...no one can penetrate his defenses..." Kankuro whispered. "No way..." Temari said with shaken breaths. Sweat drizzled from Haru's temple down his face, his almost still heart now going into a panic...

 _...beat beat...beat beat...beat beat...beat beat, beat beat, beat beat, beatbeat beatbeat beatbeat-_

 _"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BLOOOOOOD IT'S MY BLOOOOOOOOD!"_

Haru gasped jaggedly as he grasped his ears, the sheer sound of Gaara's scream shaking his core. "Haru!" Fuyumaru panicked as he watched Haru shaking, his hands clasped onto the sides of his head, going into a panic attack.

The Chidori had gone right through Gaara's shoulder. "What's happening?" Kankuro gasped, and suddenly Sasuke couldn't move his arm away as he yanked and jerked...until he used Chidori again to move his arm away, thus making Gaara scream in pain again, worsening Haru's panic.

But as Sasuke pulled away... _Shukaku's arm came with it..._

Haru's breaths became long and jagged through his mouth, and almost every part of him tensed up. "Haru, Haru listen to me you need to calm down, listen to my voice! Haru!" Fuyumaru bit Haru's shirt and pulled him away from the railing, nudging him to try and get his attention, but to no avail. Haru continued to shake and breath too fast. Fuyumaru had seen Haru go through panic attacks before, but this one was for worse then any other. The other ninja seemed to worry and be concerned over Haru. Fuyumaru quickly did what always worked best for Haru, and brought Haru into an "embrace" of sorts. He placed his upper body close to Haru, keeping him close with one of his forelegs, and leaning his head closely against him. "Haru calm down, everything's alright, I'm here..." He repeated to him over and over. Just like how Haru did before, he suddenly sensed something very wrong...

"...What on Earth is going on?" He said to himself, lifting his head and looking around.

He sniffed the air, but he stopped as he felt Haru violently shake. He knew that time was running out and he had to do something...but he paused as he saw white feathers gracefully drift down. He squinted for a moment...before quickly realizing it was a genjutsu. He put his head down to shield Haru, and watched as most of the civilians act as if they were asleep. Most of the Jonin and some of the Genin however, released the jutsu. _...Damn it...what's the meaning of this madness!?_ He thought, noticing that Haru also got caught within the genjutsu, his violent shaking now stopped as he laid there as if asleep.

He never expected any of this to happen...

...But something worse is to come...

The Leaf was under siege.

* * *

 **Welp looks like the Leaf's fuCKED. RIP Gaara's shoulder, and good lord my poor Haru is having a bad time. Fuyumaru better figure out something, and fast. Review and stuff, and stay tuned for the next chapter.  
**


	16. Warm Memories in the Cold

**Haru's having a panic attack, Gaara's shoulder got fucked up, and now people are in a genjutsu! _SOUNDS LIKE ONE HELL OF A TIME._ ENJOY!  
**

* * *

Fuyumaru watched as the ANBU blackops ran past, noticing that one was the caster of the jutsu. His eyes squinted as he noticed the two Sand Genin begin to look suspicious. _I better lay low for now..._ He thought, looking down to Haru who was asleep, but still breathing with unease.

Haru's mind was in a completely other world...

His mind went quiet...

...

 _"...It's cold...but soft...what...is this...?" I lifted up my head, and opened my eyes._

 _"...Snow?"_

 _"...Why is it snowing? ...Where am I?" The wind was cold and was blowing with flurries, and the skies dark... "...A blizzard...? Wait..." I take in my surroundings...it's...nothing but an endless, flat tundra. I look down at my hands, to see they were paws. I panicked a little, seeing that I was_ _grey wolf pup. I looked around, and it was nothing but snow and wind...it was cold..._

 _...And lonely..._

 _I stood up, stumbling a little as I pushed through the snow that was as deep as my legs. I kept walking for what seemed for hours...the tundra was too vast...I began to feel my strength weaken... "...I know I have to find a way out...but...I can't find it..." My body...I...was too weak to even walk out of my own world..."...Will...anyone find me...? Will anyone even see me in this endless tundra of dark cold winds...? ...Am I...to stay here for eternity...? Or am I to look for something? "_

 _"...Someone...?"_

 _"...Anyone..."_

 _...Maybe not...I'm just a grey speck in this world of white...no one sees me in the dark, my lights too dim and weak...I try to call out, but it only comes out a weak whine of a wolf pup..._

 _...This..._

 _...This is my end..._

 _...Wait..._

 _...That smell..._

 _...That...heartbeat..._

 _...Gaara...?_

...

Fuyumaru had some business with the Hidden Sand village that was going to take a days time to complete. Yoko as well had to tend to more dangerous matters, and so entrusted Fuyumaru to take care of Haru, who was only 5 years old at the time. This gave Haru a good chance to experience the outside world beyond his own country.

Fuyumaru made it into the village by a ninja guiding him through the desert. Since this said business was going to take awhile to complete, they were going to stay the night in the village, being given a place to stay from the Kazekage. By the time they had entered the village earlier, the sun was already setting. As Fuyumaru was on his was the Kazekages building, he stopped as he noticed a small playground that had a group of children playing. He smiled, seeing as it was also a good chance for Haru to play with other children his age. Fuyumaru looked back to Haru who sat upon his back. "While I'm speaking with the Kazekage, you can play with these other kids, okay?" He said softly to him. Haru looked over to the group of children before looking back to Fuyumaru shyly nodding. Fuyumaru smiled once more, laying down so Haru could hop off. "Why not try to make some friends, hm?" Fuyumaru said as he nuzzled Haru before leaving to the Kazekage's building. Haru was wearing his regular kimono at the time, but also a small jacket with it's hood over his ears to hide them.

He was very shy about his ears when not in his own village or home...

He watched as Fuyumaru left before slowly turning to the group of kids, his head held a bit low as he watched them play with their ball. Just as he stood quietly, they all stopped and stared at him with judging eyes. Haru swallowed nervously. "Who are you?" One of the kids asked, raising a brow. Haru quickly looked down, not answering. "Uh...okay then..." Another said, and soon they just ignored him, going back to playing their game, acting as if he was never there. Haru frowned, looking at the ground in front of him.

 _...This is hard..._ He thought to himself.

His silence had got the better of him once again. He looked back up again, but this time his face lit up with curiosity as he stopped a red-haired boy sitting on the swings alone. Building up the courage, he hurriedly ran past the kids, trying not to get hit by the ball they played with. Even though one angrily shouted at him for getting in the way, Haru walked past them and over to the other boy. The other children seemed to quickly get back to their game, not wanting anything to do with the red-haired kid, or Haru now.

Haru slowly walked up to the other boy, who had lifted his head to look at him.

Haru quickly looked away, but pointed to the swing next to him. "Um...do you...want to sit there?" The boy asked with shock, and Haru quickly nodded. "Oh, it's okay you can go ahead!" The boy smiled happily, being rather friendly. Just as Haru neared the other swing, a gust of wind made him slightly stagger, and it blew back his jackets hood. He gasped, quickly grabbing his hood and pulling it back over his head. He shut his eyes tight, afraid of the reaction he was going to get from the other...

"...Do...do you have wolf ears...?" The boy asked as he stood from his swing, completely amazed.

Haru's eyes shot open, and he slowly looked up with shock. He blinked a few times as he slowly pulled back his hood, revealing his bright hair and wolf ears that were laid low. "Wow...that's pretty cool!" The boy smiled. Haru was amazed that the boy didn't shun or make fun of him. "Oh, um...my name's Gaara. What's yours?" Gaara smiled. Haru quickly looked down, his hands held close to his chest.

"...Don't you speak...?" Gaara frowned, furrowing his brows. Haru shook his head a little. "So...you don't like speaking?" Gaara sat back down on the swing as Haru did, looking over at him. The little wolf nodded...he felt more comfortable around him, something he never felt with anyone other then Yoko and Fuyumaru.

He felt rather happy that he had made his very first friend.

"So...do you want to build a sandcastle...?" Gaara asked, seeing that Haru wasn't going to say anything. Haru furrowed his brows in confusion. "Um...well you see, you just...well...make a small hill of sand I guess, and put some little flags on it and other cool things." Gaara smiled, getting off his swing and sitting in the sand. Haru smiled and sat across from him, and they began building a sandcastle. Gaara seemed to be doing well on his side, but Haru was having a bit of trouble. Gaara giggled a little bit. "Here." He said, and Haru's ears perked as he saw the sand move on it's own, his side of the hill now as big as Gaara's. Haru smiled happily, grabbing a small stick and placing it on top of the little hill. Gaara's smile brightened. Most people hated his sand abilities, but when he saw that it made Haru happy, it made him happy as well.

...After awhile, they were finished.

It was an impressive sandcastle, with little sticks on it and a tower. They both smiled proudly. "It looks great!" He said happily. Haru nodded. Just as they were about to do another activity, Fuyumaru walked over to the edge of the playground. "Haru, it's time to go." He smiled, looking over at the two. _So he made a friend..._ He thought, smiling to himself.

Haru frowned, knowing he had to leave Gaara. He looked over to the boy with a sad expression. "...I guess...this is goodbye, Haru." Gaara said as he stood, helping Haru up. Haru nodded slowly, standing quietly for a moment. He hands fidgeted as his mouth opened and closed a few times, trying to figure out what to say to Gaara.

"It...was nice...to...meet you, Gaara..." He looked up, smiling a little.

Gaara was taken by surprise, and smiled happily. "It was nice to meet you too Haru. I hope we can meet again someday." Gaara smiled, the two waving to each other as Haru started walking to Fuyumaru. However...as Haru tried to walk past the kids again, and one accidentally kicked the ball right towards Haru's face. "Hey watch out!" The kid yelled in a panic. Fuyumaru was about to jump in quickly, until...

"Look out!" Gaara exclaimed, and his sand rushed over, blocking the ball. As it bounced away from the kids, Haru stood stiff for a moment, and staring at the small wall of sand. He slowly turned to look back at Gaara. Gaara's expression was full of fear and worry...he expected Haru to run away screaming in fear, but...

He got quite the opposite.

Haru ran over to Gaara, nearly tackling him as he hugged him tightly. "...Thank you." He said with a quiet, weak voice. Gaara's eyes shot wide open, completely shocked. Before he could even react, Haru had let go, and ran over to Fuyumaru. Gaara stood there, his face in awe. He blinked, his brain trying to process what happened. By the time he came to his senses, Haru had already left. He didn't even notice how all the other children stood in fear until the sand fell to the ground. Gaara slowly began to smile. "...You're welcome, Haru." He sat back down onto his swing, the smile stuck onto his face.

...He felt very happy.

...

 _...Gaara..._

 _...You were so...nice, back then...kind, and gentle...  
_

 _...Why do you say everyone hates you...?_

 _...Why do you say you live for the killing of others...?_

 _...Don't you...remember me...?_

* * *

 **MY GODDAMN HEART CAN'T HANDLE THIS FLUFFINESS, I NEED MY CUTE REPELLENT ASAP _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_ review n shit  
**


	17. The Fourth Hokage Forever

**...THE FLUFFINESS IS STILL TOO DAMN HIGH- _chokes_ anyways, I'll just be putting this more into Haru's perspective. What does that mean? LESS WORK FOR ME HAHAHAAHAHAHAH ENJOY!  
**

* * *

 _...What's that sound...?_

 _...Birds?_

 _...And people...the hospital?_

 _...I hear the voices of people...I...I need to wake up..._

Haru fluttered his eyes open, a white ceiling coming into view. His body felt weak, but he managed to turn his head to look out the window of his room. It was sunny, and birds were singing. "...Finally awake I see...I hope you had enough beauty sleep." A familiar voice said from the other side of the bed. Haru looked over to see Fuyumaru sitting next to the bed, smiling. Haru's brows furrowed with concern and confusion. "Don't worry, you're alright. The Genjutsu you were put under did a number on you, due to you being in a panic attack...you've been out for three days now." Fuyumaru explained. Haru's eyes widened with panic and he quickly sat up straight, breathing fast. "Calm down, calm down...I wish I could say everything's alright, but...many things happened while you were out." Fuyumaru cooed, but he looked slightly down. Haru looked at him with concern.

"...The Hokage...is no longer with us." He said, a sadness hanging in his voice.

Haru's eyes widened, and he looked down at his hands. "A large portion of the village was destroyed, and Sand and Sound ninja invaded. The person behind it all was Orochimaru..." He explained. Haru felt a cold chill run up his spine, knowing very well who Orochimaru was. Just as Fuyumaru was going to speak more, he was interrupted by the rooms door opening.

"Listen you two, I'm telling you it was him when that wolf helped me in the forest of death!" Sakura said with an annoyed tone.

She, Naruto and Sasuke were there.

Fuyumaru smiled with a slight chuckle.

Naruto grumbled, and Sasuke said nothing. as the three came into the room. Naruto quickly opened his eyes widely when he saw the large wolf. "Woah, don't tell me this is the wolf you're talking about! He's huge!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at him. Fuyumaru laughed in response. "I am Fuyumaru, not Haru. I'm his sensei and protector." He bowed his head to them respectfully. "...Wait...you're...his...s-sensei...?" Sakura was a a little confused, as was Naruto, but Sasuke just stood there as if he was dragged into coming here with them."Yes. It's no different then Kakashi being your sensei, even though my appearance is different." Fuyumaru smiled with a nod. "Ohhh I see...oh, I almost forgot! I brought you some flowers Haru. Being in the hospital must be really dull, so I thought I'd bring something to...well, lighten it up a little." Sakura smiled, bringing the small vase of two flowers to the nightstand.

Haru smiled happily, bowing his head as thanks.

"...So...how long are you staying here, uh...what's your name...?" Naruto asked with his hands lazily behind his head. "Haru. He dislikes speaking, so I speak for him." Fuyumaru explained. "...So...you're a talking wolf...whose his sensei..." Sasuke said, looking the wolf over. "Yes. I'm a summon, similar to a nin-kin, but I'm not as a tool. I work as an individual, similar to a Jonin, which is why I act as his sensei." The wolf explained once more. After a while of some talking, the nurse came in, and said that Haru would be able to leave tomorrow.

Soon after, the three left.

* * *

The next day, Haru and Fuyumaru returned to their home.

The day went on slowly sense he got out at an early time, but eventually he and Fuyumaru went out to get some groceries. After returning, they went back out for Haru's training. He wasn't injured, so he was perfectly able to train. That day he trained on fighting as a team with Fuyumaru. Granted, Fuyumaru was his sensei, but that didn't erase the fact that he was still a summon.

They spent the afternoon training more and more, and eventually stopped to take a break.

Fuyumaru noticed as Haru spoke a little here and there. He smiled, thinking that Haru may be finally getting back used to his voice, even though it was quite a defining trait of his. He sighed in relief, laying his head down into the grass. They were training on the top of a small, grassy hill that was bordered with trees. It was calm and tranquil...but soon Haru seemed to have something on his mind. "...You're thinking rather quickly..." Fuyumaru stated, his head still resting on the ground with his eyes closed. Haru sighed heavily in response. "...Do...you think he'll...remember me...?" Haru whispered, lowering his head from staring at the clouds. "...When Gaara came into the village, he wasn't the Gaara he was many years ago...anger and hatred clouded his mind, much like these clouds will block out the sun." Fuyumaru said with a wise voice. Haru looked back up to the sky, seeing a cloud float right past the sun.

"He had left the village back when he was in the arena with Sasuke...I'm not sure what happened to him after, but I have a feeling he'll return someday...as a different man." Fuyumaru smiled a little. Haru smiled as well, leaning his head back onto Fuyumaru...and the two ended up taking a nap together. It was a very peaceful sleep that the two earned from such panicked events lately.

Haru's dreams were filled with the warm memories of the past...

Soon, the two awoke a few hours later. It was nearly 6pm, so they went on home, watching TV for the remainder of the day until it became night. As Haru laid in his bed, he stared out his window at the rising moon. He couldn't stop thinking of everything that had happened...and he couldn't stop thinking of Gaara.

But never the less, he slowly drifted into a sweet slumber.

* * *

 **Gotta love me some good naps in the middle of a village full of strangers on a random hill after being _fuckin asleep for three days straight._ Review and stuff  
**


	18. The Wolf Charm

**WELP since Haru's husbando left to go back to his own village, Haru's going to get with Sasuke instead...yeahhh that won't happen. There's a _tad_ of Sasuke x Haru here, but it was just for shits and giggles...or just content, because I fuckin suck at pre-big-event ideas.  
**

* * *

A few weeks have passed since that day.

Since Haru's mainly lived peacefully for the while with Fuyumaru, it was only very recently that he found out that Sasuke and Kakashi were in the hospital, which was a bit worrying. He continued to keep training even with such news, and was happy to see Naruto return with the new Hokage. She was able to heal Sasuke and Kakashi. It was a bit surprising just how fast Tsunade adapted to being the Fifth Hokage, but...it made Haru think...

Compared to other villages...the Leaf has gone through the most Kage's.

 _Kage after Kage...it seems as if they never have one for too long until a tragedy happens, but...I guess it's unavoidable. They had the most perks. The Ninetails, the Hyuga clan, and not to mention, what they used to have...the Uchiha clan. Seeing that they held so much power-...no...no that's not how to word it...they had so much value among the others, that they were targeted and hit many times with devastating blows...most times, they were struck with their own blows...one of the Uchiha murdering his entire clan, the Ninetails attack...so many things have happened to this village...and they still stand tall, blazing with the will to fight on..._

 _...The will of fire._

Haru smiled. It was something he greatly admired about the village. Today, Haru wandered off on his own. He took the path that lead to a tall hillside with trees, and sat upon the edge of the hill, gazing at the village and great stone faces. It was still being repaired from Orochimaru's attack, but it was alive and thriving. The sky was beautiful, and the wind soft and refreshing, the breeze swaying the wooden chimes hanging among the trees.

He sighed with a soft smile.

"...Today is beautiful..." He said to himself.

...But he frowned as he soon felt a familiar ache in his heart...a cold, dark tundra...

 _...Nothing..._

 _...No one..._

 _..._

 _...It was cold..._

* * *

...It's been a few days since then.

Team 7 had gone out on a mission and had come back, near the time that Haru and Fuyumaru had come back from a mission as well. It took a full day. It was simple: escort a builder to a destination. It wasn't too dangerous. The only thing that was dangerous was the path they took. Crossing rivers, canyons, rivers...but nothing bad happened.

However, he heard that Sasuke was back in the hospital.

Once he returned home, Fuyumaru was gone taking care of some business with the Hokage, so he was left alone with nothing to do. He laid on the couch lazily, watching the TV. _...Must be pretty boring in the hospital...I know how it feels to be unbelievably bored...I wonder if...I should pay Sasuke a visit...? ...I don't know..._ Haru took a nervous breath, sitting up on the cough and looking at the clock. Fuyumaru wouldn't be back until 2 hours. _...I guess I m_ _ight as well, sense I have nothing in particular to do...wait should I bring something...?_ He thought, remembering the time when Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura paid him a visit, and Sakura had brought him flowers. He looked around, heading to his room and searching for something to give him.

 _...Maybe...maybe this...?_ He thought as he found a wolf charm. He bought two of them at a festival one time.

It was a sitting wolf made out of red and black marble. It was only an inch tall, and came with a tag that said "to guide those who are lost back home". He smiled, thinking it was a good idea. He went ahead and kept his regular clothes on instead of his ninja ones, and put the charm in his pocket.

Once he made it to the hospital, it proved difficult to get to Sasuke's room through the nurse without talking, but he made it in. Once he got to Sasuke's room, he swallowed a bit before slightly opening the door, peeking inside. He saw Sasuke inside, but was a bit concerned as to why he looked...very frustrated, for some reason. He just sulked there like a statue...until he growled and laid back onto his pillow with his hands behind his head. _...I knew it. He's bored._ Haru thought, entering the room with a small knock. Sasuke, looked over from laying down, raising a brow as his entry. "Haru...? What are you doing here-..." Sasuke asked, but had stopped himself mid sentence, remembering that Haru never spoke. Regardless, Haru just smiled and took the charm from his pocket, holding it out to Sasuke who sat up to take it and look at it.

"...A charm?" He furrowed his brows in confusion. Haru nodded once, and pointed to it's tag. "To guide those who are lost back home..." Sasuke repeated it's words, then placed it his shorts pocket. "Thanks." He bowed his head respectfully. Haru smiled and did as well before leaving. Once out of the hospital, he sighed loudly. _...He's...really awkward to interact with..._ He thought before heading home.

Thanks to that little experience, his dull day had brightened up a bit, and he hoped it brightened Sasuke's as well.

* * *

 ** _Haru don't you dare start fuckin cheating on Gaara with the duck-headed biTCH._ Review and stuff  
**


	19. Sasuke Takes His Leave

**YUP YOU GOT IT, THE BITCH IS LEAVING THE LEAF VILLAGE FOR PRETTY MUCH _NO LOGICAL FUCKIN REASON_! ENJOY!  
**

* * *

Haru had thought that everything was going well in the village...but he was oblivious to the disappearance of Sasuke.

Tsunade had assigned Shikamaru to form and lead a small team of Genin of his choice. Just at that time though, Haru was on his way back from a mission, meaning he wasn't around to be picked. Shikamaru wanted to pick him as well because of both his agility and his Kekkei Genkai. Haru was completely oblivious to the news of Shikamaru forming a rescue team since he had only just gotten word that Sasuke left. Even with Haru being absent, the team could not waste any time, and quickly set out, Naruto now bound to hold a promise to bring Sasuke back.

Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru, Neji, and Choji.

By the time Haru and Fuyumaru actually returned from their mission, they heard that the team left _yesterday_ to get Sasuke. Haru stood in shock beside Fuyumaru as they heard the news from Tsunade in the Hokage's office. Haru's gaze dropped to the floor. _Sasuke...he...he wouldn't...he...did...?!_ He thought as his heartbeat quickened. As the two exited the building having finished their mission, it was nightfall, and Haru was awfully quiet...

"...Please...don't follow me..." He whispered with a serious tone to Fuyumaru before using a great amount of chakra to jump onto a building and leap away with great speed. "Wait- Haru!?" Fuyumaru growled, watching Haru eventually go out of sight. "...You better be smart about what you're doing..." He thought with great concern. "...If you run into any trouble, summon me." He told Haru telepathically. Haru stayed quiet as he went past the village gate unseen, but was confident he'd return.

Using his senses, he got a trail of where the rescue team was going, and went to take a shortcut straight to the front where Sasuke was...but he sensed someone hot of his own trail. He glanced behind him to see who it was, and he gasped.

It was Lee, of all people.

Haru gave him a completely dumbfounded look, and Lee came up beside him, no bandages or wounds present on him. "Ah, you're that one wolf ninja aren't you?" He asked, and Haru frantically nodded, still in shock as they leapt from tree to tree. "As you probably know, I am Rock Lee...and if I recall, your name was Haru wasn't it?" He glanced at him, earning yet another frantic nod. "I see...well if you do not prefer to speak much, let us hurry to help Naruto and the team!" Lee sped up, and Haru followed right behind him. _How...how is he so fast when he just had surgery!?_ Haru thought, quite concerned for the other.

After awhile, Lee spoke. "Get ready, we're almost there." He said as the night gradually turned into dawn. Haru nodded once more, keeping his guard up. "Prepare yourself, because we need to both attack at one time once there! Follow me, alright?" Lee looked back, and Haru nodded, staring dead ahead.

The fight ahead was going to be serious.

They came to a clearing, and without hesitation, Lee performed a spinning kick, and Haru followed with a roundhouse kick at the enemies legs, knocking the enemy far back, but he still landed on his feet.

"Whose this?" The enemy ninja asked, and Lee and Haru took fighting stances.

"It is Haru and I, the rejuvenated Leafs handsome devil..." Lee began, and Haru giggled under his breath beside him even though he did his best to stay serious. "Rock Lee!" Lee exclaimed, and wind blew across the field they stood in.

"...Bushy brow? Haru?" Naruto glanced at both of them from behind. He seemed to have been fighting the ninja earlier.

"But...what about your injuries! Are-" Naruto was interrupted by Lee, "Do not worry about me Naruto...go get Sasuke!" Lee instructed as he looked back at Naruto, Haru looking as well. "Eh? Really? Are you sure?" Naruto asked with a worried tone. Lee then looked back forward to the enemy. "Go on, get going, Haru and I can take care of things here..." He said and Haru nodded to Naruto with a smile before looking back at the ninja as well. Just as Naruto prepared to leave, he told them to be careful, and that the ninja had a kekkai genkai. Lee gave Naruto a thumbs up.

Naruto smiled and nodded, but as he was leaving...

"I don't think so..." The bone ninja jumped past Lee and Haru, readying a bonesword to attack Naruto...

But Lee swiftly got in fornt of him, blocking it with his bare hands.

Haru watched in amazement. _...He's even faster...how? He was literally just in a hospital this morning!?_ He swallowed, a little nervous for Lee's health and safety if he should be battling right after a surgery...

* * *

 **LEE WHAT TH ARE YOU DOING, YOU SHOULD BE IN THE HOSPITAL YOU DIPSTICK! HARU DO SOMETHING! Review and stuff  
**


	20. The Leafs Handsome but Drunk Devil

**Hope you guys liked he last poorly explained battle because guess what? _THERE'S MORE!_ ENJOY!  
**

* * *

The moment Lee took hold of Kimimaro's sword, Haru took the chance to team attack with Lee.

Just as Lee kicked one of the ninja shoulders, Haru kicked the other. He may not have been as good as Lee in taijutsu, but it was enough to help...

 _...The fight pressed on..._

As they fought, Lee had more successful attack then Haru, but that was expected. Haru mostly gave him backup by either blocking, team attacking, or performing some simple jutsu.

"The next one...will be your last." Lee stated as he prepared for an attack, and Haru glanced at him with surprise. _...Already...?_ He thought with question marks all around in his mind. They had only _just_ started, but he decided to step back and let Lee do this. "Leaf Hurricane!" Lee exclaimed as he performed the move, but...it completely missed. "They were too predictable", as Kimimaro said. Just as he was about to attack Lee with his bone sword, Haru was going to block it, until...

"One moment please!"

Haru raised a brow from where he stood, and stared with shock as Kimimaro actually stopped once Lee held up his hand. "I am so sorry, but I have to take my medicine at a certain time, and that time happens to be now." He said, and Haru was outright dumbfounded yet again.

 _...Taking medicine...in the middle of battle...is he INSANE!?_ He thought, his eye twitching, but then he squinted as he stared at Lee's so called "medicine". _Is...is that elixir...?_ He cocked his head in confusion. "...Oh no...Haru stand back and leave this to Lee...Quickly!" Fuyumaru yelled to Haru telepathically, and Haru quickly jumped back in a panic.

Kimimaro glanced over at Haru, noticing his panicked reaction, and watched Lee carefully...

Within seconds, Lee was acting...

...Drunk? _  
_

"Haru whatever you do, do not approach him now!" Fuyumaru ordered. "Why!?" Haru questioned telepathically back, completely confused. "Because he's now entered a state called the Loopy Fist...just listen to me and don't go near him, he's dangerous now!" Fuyumaru yelled. Sure enough, Lee began attacking Kimimaro with great speed. His movements were impossible to read with him being drunk and unpredictable.

He even fell asleep during the battle!

Haru was still confused in every way, just sitting at the sidelines now since he's practically useless. "...Do you know why he's..." Kimimaro looked over at Haru thinking he'd get an answer, only to realize that he was just as confused as he was...and when Kimimaro got close enough and pointed his bone sword at Lee, he got right back up again! It was an endless roller coaster of what's and why's for most likely both Haru and Kimimaro.

...But the thing was, Lee was actually _winning_.

 _I mean...if it works, it works...?_ Haru thought, watching the fight go on.

"Well if you are drunk, I don't think it will hurt too much when I send you into the afterlife..." Kimimaro said as he prepared to attack.

Haru flinched, and prepared to defend Lee, but he soon realized it was pointless, as Lee easily dodged whatever Kimimaro threw at him. Haru sighed heavily, continuing to watch. As the fight progressed, Haru started watching with more interest, and even went as far as to quietly cheer for Lee as he landed a really good punch on Kimimaro...then things started going downhill once Kimimaro activated his curse seal. At this point, Lee wasn't drunk anymore, and was stuck with a migraine.

...Or rather, hangover.

Seeing that now that battle had turned tables, he rushed over to stand in front of Lee defensively, his guard back up as he readied himself to fight...however, he's never gone against an enemy who also had a Kekkei Genkai, so he was unsure about how he was going to go about this. At least he would be prepared if Kimimaro was going to strike first. Haru glanced back at Lee for a second, before looking forward at his enemy. It was then that Kimimaro rushed at Haru with his sword. Haru inhaled sharply, performing handsigns very quickly before ice formed around his arm, blocking the sword. The jutsu was called Ice-Breaking Fist, and was meant to act as a shield in battle. "...A Kekkai Genkai...?" Kimimaro's brows raised, impressed with Haru's ability.

It was Kekkai Genkai against Kekkai Genkai.

Haru grunted a little, and the jutsu formed on his other arm as well. He pulled his arm back, and threw a hard punch onto Kimimaro's face, sending him flying back. Even with such a punch, he landed onto him feet, skidding across the ground. He watched as the ice broke off from Haru's arms, melting into water. "This will be interesting..." He stated before lunging at Haru once more.

The wolf grunted and side jumped to avoid a deadly bone attack, but ended up being kicked in the stomach instead. He gasped, the kick sending him to the ground for a moment before he quickly got back up onto his. Haru was doing good at first, but as he used more chakra for jutsu and energy for taijutsu, he began to lose.

Kimimaro had badly injured Haru's left arm and leg to the point they weren't usable, and Haru's stomach was torn. Haru panted heavily, his body getting weak as he knelt onto the ground. _T-This isn't good...I...I need to get up..._ He thought to himself.

...This is bad.

"You fought well with you Kekkei Genkai...but now is the end for you." Kimimaro said before rushing at him at full speed, no doubt going to impale him with his arms that were covered in bone spikes. Haru shut his eyes tight and looked away, his face cringing as he prepared for the worst, but...nothing happened. He flinched a little as he felt shuffling all around him, and when he opened his eyes just a little bit...

...He saw sand.

* * *

 ** _HIS HUSBANDS BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK_  
**


	21. My Dear Old Friend

**THE SAND MANS BACK IN BUSINESSSSS! Haru's husband reTURNS A _FUCKING NORMAL HUMAN BEING._ I guess Therapy no Jutsu worked. ENJOY!  
**

* * *

 _This...this is Gaara's sand...he...saved me? He's...He's back...?_ Haru thought, his eyes opening more as he stared at the sand, but his ears flinched as he heard Kimimaro be hit, and knocked far back. He looked up with confusion before he was enveloped and pulled far back as well by the sand, making him gasp in surprise, but also in pain from his wounds. He looked around, and saw that he was pulled over to where Gaara and Lee were.

...Something was different though.

He stared up at Gaara from the ground beside him. He could feel it...all that malice and hatred...it was gone. A smile slowly formed on Haru's face. _He's...the real Gaara again...the friend that I remember from so long ago...he's...back..._ His gaze softened a little as he looked up at Gaara's sea green eyes. The eyes that once held so much bloodlust and hatred...were gleaming with life again. Haru smiled with joy, happy to see the real Gaara again...

"...You're staring, Haru..." Fuyumaru snickered.

"EH-!" Haru gasped under his breath and quickly averted his eyes to the ground, his cheeks flaring up. Fuyumaru burst out laughing to himself as Haru was now very embarrassed and flustered. _I hope he didn't see that..._ Haru thought, keeping his head down. Gaara hadn't noticed, however, Lee did...

"Haru, is everything alright? You look rather, uh..." Lee looked over to Haru worriedly, but stopped once he saw Haru's flustered expression.

Haru's face was burning red.

"Um...never mind..." He sat back, quite a few things going through his mind. Haru tried thinking of something to do after Kimimaro asked who Gaara was.

 _...My leg and arm is injured...I can't stand...but I can still perform one-handed jutsu..._ Haru sighed in defeat, slowly looking back up at Gaara...

"Allies of the Leaf Village. We are shinobi of the Hidden Sand." Gaara answered. _Even his tone changed..._ Haru thought.

Fuyumaru was chuckling rather intensely at Haru's reaction. "Are you really that nervous around him?" Fuyumaru smiled. "...N-No..."

That was a blatant lie and he knew it.

This has only been the second time he's ever ever been attracted to someone, and last time, he didn't even interact with his crush, at all. Not to mention that he is almost never around people. He's felt all kinds of emotions, but...

...He has no idea what to do with this kind of love.

"...You're still on the battlefield Haru..." Fuyumaru said and Haru perked his ears, looking back up to Kimimaro. _He's right...I can't pay attention to that right now, or at least try not to..._ He sighed, trying to focus. Even though he knew his leg was badly injured, he attempted standing, only to painfully groan and fall back onto his knees again, wincing in pain. "Haru, you've done enough." Gaara said as he stepped forward, standing in front of the two

"..." Haru lowed his ears, frowning. But he grit his teeth, grasping at his leg.

"...Haru..." Fuyumaru said lowly within him, as if warning him. Haru ignored Fuyumaru, and stood up on his good leg, putting a bit of pressure on the other. He grunted, fighting the pain. "Haru don't be a foo- HARU!" Fuyumaru yelled as Haru ran forward at Kimimaro. "...I don't need protection...I can fight...!" Haru said to him. _Tch...it hurts, but I can do th-_ His thoughts were cut short as sand had grabbed his leg, tripping him onto a pile of sand. He grunted, his wounds now opening more and bleeding. The sand gripped around his ankles and pulled him up, causing his shirt to fall down. Haru winced as the air hit his stomachs wounds, but he gasped, quickly pulling down his shirt.

...He didn't want them to see the mark, but it was too late.

Kimimaro saw what laid upon his _back_ , and remained silent...

The sand brought Haru back over to the other two, placing him down carefully beside Gaara. "You're in no condition to fight..." Gaara said as he sternly looked down at Haru. The wolf quickly looked down to hide his embarrassment, even though he hated the feeling of being useless in the battle now. Haru scooted himself over to the left side of Gaara, sitting around three feet away so he wasn't accidentally stepped on if Gaara moved back or to the side. Haru watched as he held his wounds, trying to keep them from bleeding. He had to be careful, or he'd lose blood too fast.

"...And you're different. When you fought against me, you had much more agility and sharpness." Gaara stated, looking over to Lee.

"...I figured you would say that. I am not the kind of person who holds a grudge, even so..." Lee began, standing up. "Because of you, I have had a fairly tough time with it." He finished. Gaara remained silent for a small bit. "Really?" He finally responded. "...Anyway, why have you come here?" Lee asked, looking at Gaara. Haru also looked up, wondering the same thing. "...I owe the Leaf...I owe the Leaf a great dept.." Gaara said, glancing back at them for a moment before looking back forward to his enemy.

The battle now became a fight between Gaara and Kimimaro.

...Until Lee took fighting stance while still being very much wounded, his arm bleeding. Gaara looked over, staring at his wounds closely...he was no doubt thinking of the time he had injured Lee during the preliminaries. "...I'll handle this." He said as he looked back forward once again. "No please, just back me up!" Lee said as quickly began running forward, but he too was tripped by the sand the exact same way. _...Saying please won't get you anywhere..._ Haru sighed as he watched Lee face plant into the sand. "I've got sand in my mouuuth...!" Lee said with a muffled voice. Haru couldn't help but chuckle. "Will you please let go of me- nng..." Lee slightly shouted, but his wounds quickly protested, causing him to wince in pain. "Neither you or Haru are doing anything in your present states...I've got this." Gaara's sand began pouring from his gourd as he walked forward to face Kimimaro, the two sitting behind him.

... _Now_ , the fight between Gaara and Kimimaro began.

* * *

 **Well shit Haru can you not just sit back like a GOOD BOY and watch your husband fight? _Gracious._**


	22. Gaara of the Desert

**MORE POORLY EXPLAINED BATTLE SCENARIOS YAYYYYYYYYYYYY, and a fuck ton of suspense. ENJOY!**

* * *

"Do not let your guard down, he uses his bones to attack! He can launch them like you saw before, and forces them to protrude from his body. He is able to control them all at will!" Lee explained to Gaara as he stepped forward.

"You, Gaara of the Desert...you wield sand, hints the name..." Kimimaro stated as if speaking to himself.

After the battle speedily began, Kimimaro began speaking as it slowed for a moment. "Gaara of the desert...rather a foolish nickname isn't it? You are nothing without that sand of yours." He taunted. _He comes from the Village Hidden in the Sand, it should be very evident that he's going to use sand as his main weapon..._ Haru thought, rolling his eyes for a moment before groaning under his breath, grasping at his stomach. He hoped that this fight ended soon...he didn't know how long he'd be able to hold out.

As the fight continued, Gaara distracted Kimimaro by forming sand in the air, but then used the sand beneath Kimimaro to grasp his ankles.

"What a surprise-" Kimimaro grunted as he felt his feet covered in sand and held down.

"...But as long as I have it, I can do anything. The only fool here is you. If I need more sand I can easily use the earth we're standing on to make more..." He explained a the sand quickly engulfed all around the bone ninja, and after a few moments, he used Sand Burial. _...I guess he was pretty scary before...but now that he's on our side, so I guess...it's a good kind of scary now...?_ Haru thought as he watched.

...But Kimimaro wasn't dead just yet.

He created a shield of bone under his skin so he wouldn't get crushed. "More bones...he's a monster, a freak..." Gaara stated. Haru's ear twitched at those words...that was what he used to be called...monster...freak... "Well, he certainly is a nuisance..." Lee said from where he was beside Haru. "I underestimated you, but that's the last time I'll get caught in your sand." Kimimaro said just before Gaara took a wider stance, and suddenly performed handsigns. He finished with clapping his hands together, and an enormous wave of sand began forming in front of him, wind gusting from the force of it. Haru gasped, shielding his face with an arm. As the ground rumbled from the sand forming, Haru gasped a bit as he fell to the side.

"Sand Tsunami!" Gaara exclaimed, but grunted a bit before doing so. His sand formed into an extremely large wave, just like a tsunami as he plunged down onto Kimimaro. But...due to focusing on his jutsu, he paid Haru, whom had fallen back against his knee and leg, no mind. Haru as first didn't react as he was paying attention to the immense pain in his stomach, but he quickly regained his senses.

 _...W...Wait...what am I leaning on...?_ He thought as he looked behind him, seeing that he was leaning onto Gaara's leg. He froze, both completely embarrassed and panicked, as he was both in contact with Gaara and in his way. He panicked, his face burning red as he tried to move out of the way, only ending up hurting his wounds more, causing him to cough up a bit of blood. He cringed at the taste of iron in his mouth.

 _I'm sorry Gaara...my wounds are bleeding too much...!_ He thought.

"You...you did it!" Lee said, thinking it was over, but... "...No, not yet. Stay where you're at Haru, or you'll bleed out." Gaara, glancing down at Haru for a moment. Haru, who would've blushed, only nodded in response. His wounds were too painful to think about his crush feelings right now.

Gaara kneeling on his unoccupied knee, and put his hands onto the ground.

"Giant Sand Burial!" He exclaimed, and all the sand began to pack down as hard as rock, making the ground rumble. It caused Lee to somewhat lose his balance from where he stood, Haru staying where he was. He looked over to see the results of Gaara's jutsu, seeing the flat surface of the compressed sand.

 _It must be over now..._ Haru thought, breathing a tad bit jaggedly.

"...Why won't he give up..." Gaara said with a slight frown. Haru raised his brows, glancing over to Gaara. _He's still alive after that?_ He wondered.

Within seconds, Kimimaro emerged from the sand. Gaara tried suppressing him, but it failed, and Kimimaro was going straight towards them in his curse marks second stage.

"Haru listen to me! Gaara's running out of chakra and Lee's still too weak...get ready to summon me!" Fuyumaru instructed quickly, and hesitantly got a nod from Haru. Gaara quickly tried slowing down Kimimaro, but it didn't work...and he was hit. Gaara was sent flying back, he sand catching him

Kimimaro was now annoyed... "Is that the best you can do with your ultimate defense? Is that all? I'm very disappo-" His sentence was cut short as he then saw Haru suddenly perform handsigns, performing Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard.

He grunted, heavily breathing.

It was his strongest jutsu.

Snow furiously formed around Haru, swirling into a long, black tornado that's end was the face of a dragon, it's eyes and mouth a glowing red. It roared loudly as it lunged at Kimimaro. It was a dead on hit...but it was only enough to cause him to stagger.

Haru's expression become downhearted, knowing that was all he was able to do.

He swallowed, now out of chakra...all he could do was sit back and try not to bleed out.

(Much more battle and talking occurred of which wasn't too interesting so I'll skip it)

Gaara used almost all of his chakra by the time he began to hope of defeating Kimimaro. TH ebone ninja laid beneath the earths surface after Gaara using one more jutsu. Haru was also now over where Lee was, and they too thought that the battle was over...

 _"...Dance...Bracken Dance."_ Kimimaro said from under the earth, and all three gasped as spikes of bones began bursting from the ground. Within seconds the entire area was nothing but a forest of bone spikes, and luckily, Gaara was able to form a floating sand platform for he and the other two. "Thank you Gaara. You saved us again. These powers of yours are truly remarkable." Lee said as Haru nodded with him. "Not really, I'm barely able to make the sand do my bidding...it's second nature to me now..." He responded as they all looked over the forest of bones. Gaara was also sweating...he's used up a lot of chakra.

"A dangerous opponent, but this time it's over. We won't be seeing him again in this life." Gaara looked over at the two. "...Yes...good." Lee said more quietly.

All three were tired and beaten because of the battle...and Gaara grunted a little as he had to hold himself up with his hand. "...My strength is gone...we must descend." He said, but before Haru could agree, he suddenly sensed something...

"...I am not his _pawn_! He is the one...the only one who gave me life meaning!...But how could the likes of you ever understand that!" Kimimaro said from behind Gaara, his body merged with a spike.

He readied his arm that was nothing but a bone to stab and finish off Gaara, but Haru felt something inside him. Adrenaline poured into his system...

...He refused to let Gaara die. _  
_

* * *

 **HARU YOU TIT YOU BETTER NOT DO WHAT I THINK YOU'RE DOING okay I'm just kidding I'm making him do what he's doing hehehehe _I'm fucking evil_**


	23. Amusing

**Haru's gonna get himself frickin killed good lord. Gaara you better heCKING LOVE HIM AFTER THIS YOU RED-HEADED ADORABLE LITTLE SHIT. ENJOY!  
**

* * *

Gaara had blinked as he turned around, a tiny droplet of blood splatting onto his cheek. His face was shocked, as was Lee's.

Haru had jumped in the way Kimimaro's attack, the bone impaled into his side as he grasped it, breathing sharply. He coughed up a lot of blood, and his body trembled. He quickly felt his shirt dampen and become heavy, the blood dripping from the wound. "...Haru!" Gaara said, grunting as Haru slowly fell back, the bone sliding out from his side. He fell into Gaara's outstretched arms, yelling sharply in pain as he landed, wrapping his arms around his stomach. Lee gasped and quickly jumped from his sand platform to theirs. Haru looked up at the two, but his vision began to blur and spin...

...Lights out.

He went unconscious. Gaara then wasted no time moving the sand over to the trees and landing. "Is he still alive?" He asked Lee as he set Haru down, leaning him up against a tree. Lee pressed his ear to his chest, hearing a faint heartbeat. "Yes, but not for long if we do not stop his bleeding..." Lee said, reaching back to grab bandaging from his pouch. "Those bandages are too small and will take too long to stop his bleeding...Here, we'll use this and then bandage it." Gaara took off his white sash. Lee nodded.

Lee removed (what was left of) Haru's shirt, and wrapped the sash around his stomach, the white material quickly turning pink, and then red. After that, Lee wrapped the bandaging around it, stopping the bleeding. "There. That should stop the bleeding for now." Lee stated before he started tending to the rest of Haru's wounds, Gaara nodding once. "...I owe him one now."

Throughout the whole time, Fuyumaru was panicking, knowing he wasn't able to get there in time and wasn't able to be summoned, but now he felt more at ease. He translated a good portion of his own chakra to Haru to help the healing process.

Who knew Gaara and Lee were such good doctors...

"It must've been luck that made him move...I should've been killed..." Gaara said after they had finished with Haru's wounds, sitting by another tree. "No, it was not meant to be. My sensei's often said to me, a good ninja always makes his own luck." Lee said. "That meddlesome mother hen?" Gaara asked. At this point, Haru just barely regained consciousness, only enough to hear them. "Guy-sensei is nothing of the sort! Yes he stepped in, but only that once, and only because I was not yet strong enough! I am very grateful for you having saved my life, but I warn you, I will not abide anyone speaking ill of my sensei!" Lee replied with quite some energy.

"...So you're another one, ey?" Gaara asked, looking up at the sky through the trees. "...Hm...?" Lee stayed mostly silent, a bit confused. "You have someone in your life whom you honor and revere so much, that every hurt inflicted on them is inflicted on you as well...and the closer they are to you, the greater the pain...to feel so strongly for someone you would fight for them...and die for them...you and Naruto Uzumaki have that in common." Gaara explained with much more, and to each word...

...Haru listened carefully.

It was almost soothing to hear the two talk to each other.

Haru slowly opened his eyes.

"...You guys...are amusing..." He whispered with a faint smile.

* * *

 **Dr. Gaara and Dr. Lee will see you now...oh welp looks like you have a bad case of Gay, Haru.  
**


	24. I'll See You in Two Years

**Haru enters yet another dream...**

* * *

The two quickly turned and stared at Haru, who began to softly laugh.

"Ah, so you are awake now...how are your wounds?" Lee moved to sit beside Haru, Gaara turning to face him, leaning against the tree. Haru only nodded a few times as if to say okay. Gaara looked at him with a surprised expression. "You spoke." He said, and Lee just now realized it as well. "Oh! I thought you disliked speaking?" Lee looked down to Haru who slightly shrugged with a small groan of pain.

"...Gaara..." Haru looked over to him, getting the Sand ninja's full attention."...You're welcome..." He smiled.

At that moment Gaara flinched, as if he had suddenly remembered something. Haru chuckled very faintly, and looked forward up into the trees, remembering that Sasuke was leaving the village...

And just like before with Gaara, he felt the need to help...

Haru groaned heavily as he sat up, reaching into his pouch and taking a food pill to help his wounds, but Lee and Gaara both reacted. "You shouldn't be moving with wounds like those." Gaara said with a stern look. "He's right Haru! You must rest!" Lee said, placing a hand on Haru's shoulder. He shook his head to them, waiting for the pill to take effect. It was one of his very strong pills, so it was a bit hard to digest. Once the effects came in, he stood up, wobbly on his legs.

"Haru what are you doing? You need to stay down." Gaara began to get slightly annoyed.

Haru shook his head again, refusing to listen. Just as Lee was about to say something, he ran off, and began leaping through the trees.

 _These wounds really hurt...but I have to at least see him before he goes. I need to tell him..._ Haru thought as he continued, his pace a bit slow.

 _Elsewhere..._

"Kakashi!" Fuyumaru had called out from behind Kakashi as he was running past the trees. "Who are you?" He said, looking back at him. "I'm Fuyumaru, the sensei of Haru from the Land of Water." Fuyumaru replied, running alongside him. "Haru...? You mean that wolf boy?" Kakashi asked. The wolf nodded. "Yes. I was a fool awhile ago, and let him run off to help save Sasuke with the team. As far as I know, he was traveling with Lee...but I have a strong feeling that he'll be wherever you're going..." Fuyumaru said, looking over to Kakashi with a serious expression. Kakashi hesitated for a moment, before nodding and looking back forward. "We can only hope he doesn't get involved with Naruto and Sasuke...I don't mean any offense of it, but those two...they're way out of his league." Kakashi said, a hint of worry in his voice. Fuyumaru nodded, and they continued.

...Haru could tell that Kakashi and Fuyumaru weren't too far away as he finally entered the valley. Just as he came into the valley, it also began to pour rain...

He jumped from one statue to the other, seeing the result of the result of the battle between the two...Naruto was unconscious on the ground...

Sasuke...he was dead serious about the path he was going to take...

...The path of revenge...

...

Sasuke walked slowly past the trees and the rain poured down...step by step, each sluggishly taken as his head stared at the ground...but something blocked his way. He stopped, slowly looking up.

It was Haru.

...Seconds ticked by with a dreaded silence between them.

Sasuke glared into Haru's ebony eyes with his own.

That look he held...he hated it...he wanted to obliterate it...he wanted it to stop staring down at him...those pitiful eyes...they stared as if they pitied him...as if they gave him sympathy...

 _Stop..._

 _Stop it._

 _Stop staring at me!_

...Sasuke looked back at the ground in front of him, walking forward once more, past Haru.

...But he paused as Haru lifted his hand, stopping him by holding his shoulder as he stood alongside him. Haru slid something into Sasuke's pocket with his other hand...

"...I'll see you in two years...Sasuke Uchiha..."

His hand moved away from the Uchiha's shoulder, and he began limping back to the valley. Sasuke stood in the rain, hearing Haru quietly walk away until his footsteps weren't heard, the rain becoming so loud it was near deafening...he reached into his pocket, and brought his hand back out. It was the wolf charm Haru had given him, that he had left back at the hospital. The tag that came with it still had the saying, but now had something written on the backside...

 _"I won't tell anyone."_

...

Remaining silent, he put the charm back into his pocket, and kept walking down the path through the woods.

* * *

 **Gotta love them plot twists man**


	25. The Pleasure is Mine

**Haru you conniving little shit...yOU WANNA FUCKIN LEAVE GAARA OVER _DUCK HEAD? BITCH. _ENJOY!  
**

* * *

"Haruuuu!" Fuyumaru called out from atop Lord 1st's statue as he stood with Kakashi who held Naruto on his back.

"We don't have enough time Fuyumaru...I just hope he didn't go with Sa-" Kakashi started, but stopped as he saw Haru jump from the other statue, to the water, then to them, breathing heavily. "Haru...what on earth were you thinking?" Fuyumaru growled with anger, looking Haru over. Haru's shirt was gone, and was replaced with bandaging and Gaara's sash. After Fuyumaru continued to growl and snarl at Haru for being foolish, Haru got onto his back, and they all headed back to the village.

Half way there, medical ninja came and gave information on the others who were on Sasuke's Search and Rescue mission.

...Two were fatal...

Haru too had to be in the hospital for awhile. He had to change into his normal clothes, and due to the injuries, he didn't wear a shirt. All he wore were black shorts, most of his body covered in bandages. He sat in the bed, staring down at the sash Gaara had used for his wounds. If it wasn't for Gaara's quick thinking, he would've bled out...not to mention Lee who had the bandage wrap with him.

...But still...

...This incident left Fuyumaru very uneasy.

 _...I'll see you in two years...Sasuke._

 _...I've never known Haru speak out loud someone other then Gaara before, not really including Lee...and for that person to be Sasuke, and for him to plan something without even a single thought of it noticed by me...? ...What could he possibly have planned that not even I know of...? ...It's truly unsettling...Haru...why...why are you thinking of joining Sasuke?_ Fuyumaru frowned in sorrow...

Does Haru not trust him anymore...?

...At this point only Haru knows what he's doing, and from the looks of it, he doesn't want anyone else knowing about his own plans...

...Maybe.

* * *

...The day went on agonizingly slow...

Haru laid in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling...

He could feel the worry...

Fuyumaru's worry...

He looked over to look at the wolf who laid on the floor beside the bed, seemingly resting. "Fuyumaru...I...need to talk to you..."Haru whispered, getting Fuyumaru's attention. The door to the room was shut, and the hospital wasn't very active in the regular halls today. Fuyumaru stood and sat beside the bed, his ears perked. He was awfully quiet, usually meaning that something was upsetting him... "I know I...don't speak much...but I just want to tell you everything." Haru whispered, sitting up. "I didn't tell you or let you know because I knew you'd tell me no. All I want to do is help Sasuke too. He's...he's going down a dark path...alone...and he's blind. He's letting his anger control him...and I..." Haru spoke, remembering the blood-thirsty side of Gaara. "...I want to help him...I'll be the light for those who can't see in the dark...I...I want to be that light...the Wolf Sage." Haru explained to Fuyumaru, his expression looking even desperate once he looked up at him.

Fuyumaru remembered the time he told him the story of the Wolf Sage...

The wolf was silent for a moment...but then lowered his head down to Haru, nuzzling his chest. "Haru...I'm only here to guide and protect you...I'm not the one who makes your life decisions." He whispered softly. Haru sat with a shocked yet relieved expression, tears forming in his eyes as he hugged the wolfs head closely. "...I'm...sorry for not trusting you..." He whispered quietly.

"...But in order to do what you're wanting, you need to train long and hard...you need to grow, Little Wolf." Fuyumaru smiled. "I know." Haru smiled back with a nod. "...Thank you for everything, Fuyumaru..." Haru whispered. "...The pleasure is mine..." The wolf closed his eyes with a soft smile.

The bond that was once weak, returned stronger...

* * *

 ** **Haru you BETTER had explained yourself to Fuyumaru or I would've kick yer feckin ass.** Sorry for how short this chapter is but I couldn't think of anything else to add into it. Hope you enjoyed it though!  
**


	26. I'll be Back

**Haru did a good by telling Fuyumaru the truth. My little wolf childs maturing like a good bean. ENJOY!  
**

* * *

The next morning, he was visited by Sakura, giving him another flower and vase, which was a very pleasant surprise.

The next, he was told he was able to leave the hospital the day after. Thanks to Fuyumaru's help with his healing, he healed faster.

Once he got out of the hospital, Fuyumaru spoke as he walked back to their apartment with Haru on his back. "Haru...don't think I was lying when I said you had to get stronger. In four days, we're heading back to Mount Shingetsu for your training. Tomorrow you will need to heal more, but the day after is the start of a three day C-rank mission. Think you're prepared for that?" Fuyumaru looked back to Haru, who responded with a determined smile and a nod. "Good..." Fuyumaru smiled as they went into their apartment. They stayed home the rest of the day, and the next, but the day after that was when they prepared for the mission. It was going to be a tough one, but not out of Haru's ability to complete.

...One small detail that should be mentioned though, is that Haru secretly kept Gaara's sash as a keep-sake in his room...

...Okay maybe Haru's just a bit weird, but if it weren't for that sash, he wouldn't be alive...so it's sentimental to him, for both that and the fact that it's Gaara's.

But, due to Haru's set of skills, he was perfect for the mission at hand.

He and Fuyumaru were to retrieve a stolen scroll.

The temple the scroll was located was guarded by very dangerous ninja, so they needed someone who was light on their feet, and stealthy. Haru was the perfect ninja for the job. "The temple itself is a day away, so we have a day to get there, a day to retrieve it, and a day to return...are you ready?" Fuyumaru said as he stood at the Leaf's gate. Haru nodded once with a smile. "Then we're off." Fuyumaru grinned, and used chakra to run with great speed.

They had left at dawn, and Fuyumaru kept up the fast pace for a long while, covering a great distance.

"We are doing this mission by ourselves and without backup. That is what made this mission dangerous." Fuyumaru explained as he ran, coming out through the forest and into the open area. It was rolling hills and fields for as far as the eye could see, mountains and forests in the far distance. Haru looked at Fuyumaru confused. "What do you mean...?" He asked. "In the area the temple is located, no electrical devices work, and the forest surrounding it is very hard to get through. Tsunade needed a one-man-team to get into the temple, and that's why she chose you. Because of that, I won't be able to assist you once we get to the forest, and you'll have to make it through the forest, and into the temple on your own to retrieve the scroll. You also can't get caught, or engage the enemy. Your orders are to retrieve the scroll and that's...understand?" Fuyumaru explained, Haru nodding firmly in response.

Time to get serious.

They neared the entrance to the forest late at night, and camped. "We'll be safe even though it's right outside of the forest and the temple itself." Fuyumaru said, laying down, panting. He was exhausted from the run all the way there. Haru nodded, putting down his backpack and getting out some food to eat before resting as well. He slept leaning against Fuyumaru's side, and both slept peacefully.

The next morning, Haru had to enter the tight forest.

The trees were so large and cramped together that no adult could get through unless they flew over, somehow.

Haru swallowed, preparing to enter the forest.

"Remember all of what I told you..." Fuyumaru said to him before Haru entered the dark woods.

He squeezed and climbed through the trees, making sure to go straight and not get lost. He occasionally got a little stuck, but eventually made it to the opening where the large wooden temple laid. It was covered in vines and plants, but it was huge...and Haru heard many people moving inside.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment as he was perched upon a high branch. He reopened his eyes, his expression serious.

He stood up, and jumped down, landing silently onto the roof of the temple. He looked around, making sure he wasn't seen before sneaking over to a window. He held onto the roofs edge, hanging over it to peek inside before stepping into the window. All of the temple was just wood, a few candles for light, all the windows without glass. He glanced around as he peeked inside. The window was placed in a hall shaped like a T. He looked around before quietly getting in, sneaking around to a corner, his back to the wall as he looked around the corner.

There was a guard.

He moved his head back, and snuck around another way, going down a different hallway. This one had no guards, and he quickly made his way down the hall, making sure there weren't any guards around. He continued down the hall that lead to a stairway up, and made his way up the stairs. He looked both ways into the hall it lead into before sneaking his way further and further up the temple, avoiding the guards and getting past them.

He finally made it to a room that was full of scrolls.

He sighed under his breath, not wanting to go through them. He knew what the scroll looked like, so he began going through them. The scroll had a certain insignia on the corners of it, so that's all he had to look for. He looked through each shelf, and smiled as he found the scroll, putting it into his pouch.

...But as he turned to leave, he gasped.

A guard stood in the doorway, glaring without a word, in a fighting stance. Haru swallowed, before quickly rushing forward with very fast speed, kicking the guard in the face, causing him to grunt and fall back. _I've got to get out of here now...!_ He panicked in his mind as he hurried to look for a window. He felt a big relief as he saw one, leaping outside through it to the outside. Luckily no one saw him, but he heard the pounding of footsteps to the other guard.

He took this chance to hurry and run.

It was stressful squeezing through the trees again, but he eventually got out of the tight forest, coming out to Fuyumaru with a stumble, breathing heavily.

"Did you get the scroll without getting caught?" Fuyumaru said as he quickly stood up from laying down. Haru smiled, pulling out the scroll, but... "...One guard saw me...but I knocked him out." Haru said, his face full of guilt. "So long as you weren't caught, you did well Haru." Fuyumaru smiled. "Come on, we need to hurry back to the Leaf." He gestured for Haru to hop onto his back, and he did so.

The retrieval of the scroll took about 3 hours, while the run back took a full day just like the run to the temple did.

Once they returned, Fuyumaru once again was very tired, and walked to the Hokage's office, Haru walking beside him instead of riding him sense he was tired. "I see you retrieved the scroll in one piece...well done Haru." Tsunade said as she held the scroll with a smile. Yet another mission complete.

But now, Haru had to pack up for the trip back home the day after.

The two returned to their apartment, Fuyumaru cleaning up while Haru packed.

He sat quietly on his bed, looking out the window at the beautiful sunset. His face showed that he was a bit downhearted, since he liked the Leaf...but he missed his true home more. He smiled, zipping up his backpack and setting it down onto the floor.

He and Fuyumaru enjoyed watching a bit of television before heading to bed.

Haru stood beside the window, his hand placed onto it's glass.

"...I'll be back..." He whispered with a smile.

* * *

 **WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! HELLO GUYS! YesyesyESSSS I RETURN! Man I really enjoyed revamping this, and adding more to it. I promise you the story will progress much faster now, since I don't have to really keep track of the anime by watching it for the chapters...but now that Haru's going back home, _I CAN DO WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT AHAHAHAH!_** **Hope you all enjoy what's to come!**


	27. Side Drabble Before Continuation

**So congrats! You've reread my whole story with it's new updates. Thank you if you've been here since when it wasn't updated, and thank you for the support. I love this story very much, and I'm very happy to hear that others do as well. So, here was a little drabble I had done while I was working on updates! I updated this chapter to put this in too so it was really mix-matched. So, ENJOY!  
**

* * *

Haru sighed as he laid down in the large, open grassland. The soft breeze blew it's way across the field, it's air warm and crisp from the sun. He began to slowly smile, and then giggle a little as something hit his mind. "...I wonder if I'm the only one that feels this way..." He said aloud. He always liked bringing his thoughts "outward" when he was completely alone. With his vocal cords already being weak, he took any chance he got when he was alone to try and use them so that they wouldn't just "break" on him, as he told himself. Today was peaceful though...

The cloudy sky provided just enough light, and just enough shade for the perfect temperature.

Soon, Haru found himself slowly closing his eyes, taking in the tranquility...until he heard something approaching.

His ear twitched, and he opened his eyes and looked to the side, looking for where the sound came from. He couldn't see much from both the grass and from laying down, but his eyes widened once he saw a familiar face approach. "...G-Gaara?" Haru said aloud again without knowing it, quickly putting his hand over his mouth. _Shit...! How did I let that just slip out!?_ He thought to himself in a panic, but his attention was quickly brought back to Gaara. "...I came here to talk with you." Gaara stated as he stood beside Haru, his arms crossed. His voice held it's usual serious tone. Haru swallowed, a little nervous as a small blush crept onto his cheeks. He looked up at Gaara with a confused expression.

"...I remember you. From 6 years ago." Gaara said after he had sat down beside Haru, looking up to the sky.

Haru froze, his face in shock. "Y...you..." He whispered under his breath, too surprised to care about his voice...unless, he was just comfortable around Gaara enough to speak with him. Gaara remained silent for a few moments, his gaze lowering to the grass. "...Want to build a sandcastle?" Gaara looked over to Haru.

Haru once again was caught completely off guard, and the memories came flooding back to him. It made him tear up a little as he smiled softly, turning his head away to wide them away before looking back at Gaara. "..Sur-...um...where's the...sand?" Haru was about to say yes, but he quickly realized that there was no sand for the sandcastle. Gaara looked back forward, and sand begun to pour from his gourd onto the ground. Haru then smiled again, sitting up properly as he watched the sand pour out and form into what was basically a sand box around them. Haru felt intense nostalgia as he began making up him side of the castle, and just like before, he was a bit slower to it then Gaara, who was doing very well on his side. It took them a small while before they finished yet again.

It was much bigger compared to their childhood castle, and this one had little blades of grass acting as the flags.

"Of course...I was...never that good at sandcastles." Haru giggled a little, scratching the back of his head. Gaara looked over from his side to Haru's. "It looks fine to me." He stated plainly. Haru quickly lowered his head, his cheeks burning red. "I-Is that so..." He said with a nervous chuckle, looking far to the side.

But...his blush and smile quickly faded, as his expression become downhearted.

Gaara quickly noticed as he looked over with a bit of concern. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" He said with worry in his tone. "...No, it's...it's alright..." Haru said, his gaze lowering to his side of the sandcastle they had just built.

 _...Am I the only one who feels this way..._ He thought once again.

"...It doesn't seem so." Gaara stated as he looked closely at Haru, seeing his expression. "S...Sorry...I just, um..." Haru tried to explain, lifting his head up a bit, but sighed heavily in defeat. "...I-I..." He stuttered, looking to the side, not being able to look Gaara in the eye as a blush grew on his face. "...I'm...sorry for this..." Haru said with his head lowered. Gaara looked at him, very confused. "Sorry...? For wh-" He started, but was soon cut off, and completely dumbfounded.

Haru moved over to him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, hugging him just like when they were little.

"...Thank you." Haru whispered, hugging Gaara tightly as if he held something precious to him. Gaara sat still, his arms slightly up as his face was utterly shocked. Haru's cheeks were ablaze with red, but much to anyones surprise, Gaara's too had a small tint of flush on them.

He didn't know how to react, but had no time to as Haru suddenly let go, moving away to stand up, and quickly run off.

Gaara sat quietly, left to himself as he watched Haru run, and soon go out of sight into the forest. "...You're...welcome..." He said under his breath, so many things going through his mind, having many questions begin to pop up...but Haru smiled as he leapt through the trees.

* * *

 _ **ALLLLL THE FLUFF!**_ **This chapter could just be considered a random freak moment where the Sand kiddos had to come to the Leaf for a mission thing and Gaara remembered about Haru or something similar. Use your imagination! And hope you enjoyed it XD New chapters will be coming very soon, so please be patient!  
**


	28. I Belong Here

**My boys finally going home! He'll be training his ass off for a long while. I wrote this while listening to Mumford and Sons - Wild Heart. It's an amazing song, I highly recommend listening to it. ENJOY!**

* * *

Haru laid awake in his bed, his mind unable to rest even though his body was tired.

He's finally going back home...

After his long journey to and in the Leaf, he was going to return home...

He smiled softly, turning over onto his stomach and closing his eyes, falling peacefully asleep. As the sun rose, the light of dawn shined into his room, the light waking him up. He fluttered his eyes open, sitting up and yawning. He looked over to the corner of the room, smiling at his backpack. "...Time to go." He said to himself, getting out of bed and putting on his casual clothing. A dark red sweater, black baggy cargo pants, black socks, and sandals. He picked up his backpack, and walked into the main room where he saw Fuyumaru already awake, sitting beside the sofa. They smiled at each other, Haru putting on his pack and walking to the door, grabbing the key on the table. He unlocked it, walking outside and closing it once Fuyumaru exited. He shut the door slowly, locking it back.

He looked up at the apartment for a moment, before turning and climbing onto Fuyumaru's back.

They headed over to the Hokage's office to return the key. "I see...I hope you enjoyed your stay here." Tsunade said, holding the key Haru had handed to her. Haru smiled brightly with a nod. "We will return...but not very soon. We will see you then, Lady Tsunade, the 5th Hokage." Fuyumaru bowed his head to her, earning a chuckle from her. "Well, I'll see you then Fuyumaru, Haru." She bowed her head back. With that, the two made their way out of the building.

Haru mounted Fuyumaru once more, and they headed out of the village.

"...I'll miss the Leaf..." Haru whispered as Fuyumaru trotted through the forest, heading to the same boat docks they used to get there. "...As will I." Fuyumaru smiled, glancing back at Haru. They continued on their journey, reaching the docks.

They boarded the boat that was set for the Land of Water.

Haru looked out at the land that gradually disappeared in the distance, resting his arms on the wall of the boat. He let out a sigh as he now gazed at the sunset, dipping itself into the ocean water. The red that scattered itself across the sky kind of reminded him of Gaara, causing him to chuckle.

The next morning, they made it to the Land of Water.

From there, the two made a b-line for Mount Shingetsu. Haru smiled brightly as they came into the snowy territory.

They're getting very close.

...And sure enough, the manor eventually came into view. Even though it was a month, Haru felt as if he wasn't gone a day. Fuyumaru walked up to the tatami door, nudging it open. As he entered, Haru quickly jumped off, dropping his bag to the floor and running over to his mother that stood from sitting on the couch, hugging her tightly. "...I missed you mom..." He whispered. She smiled softly, hugging him back just as much. "I missed you too my little wolf...did you become a Chunin?" She said, petting his hair, looking down at him. He hesitated for a moment, before shaking his head, pulling slightly away from her to look up at her with a downhearted expression. "What happened?" She asked with concern, caressing his cheek.

"...Sand and Sound ninja attacked the village just as the finals were almost finished...Haru didn't get a chance to fight his round. I'll speak with you about it later this evening." Fuyumaru explained, his tone hinting a bit of annoyance but also sadness. He was upset that Haru couldn't graduate, but the trip to the Leaf definitely wasn't in vain. Yoko nodded to him in response, petting Haru's hair one last time before walking into the kitchen to cook lunch as it was around that time. Seeing that the two were going to talk about the whole journey, Haru went ahead and changed into his winter boots before going outside.

The snow...it was still as cold as ever.

He loved it.

He held his arms out, lifting up his head, taking in a deep breath of the icy air, exhaling through his mouth, watching the steam puff up in the air from his breath. He smiled as he saw something flap around in the trees. He outstretched a hand with two fingers, and his small sparrow friend flew down, perching onto them.

He gently pet her back, moving his fingers to his shoulder, the sparrow hopping up onto him.

He walked around the winter forest, sometimes sliding his hands gracefully across the ancient trees as he would walk by.

The silence...

The peace...

The cold...

 _...I belong here._ He thought.

He often felt as if he was...connected to Mount Shingetsu. He thought that it may be because of the seal...the seal that connected him to Fuyumaru, who was connected to this land. His hand slowly reached to his side to the corner of his back, where the seal had laid. He never knew why, but he was always told to never show anyone the seal...and so whenever he was without a shirt, he always become uneasy if he didn't know for sure that he was safe.

He placed his hands onto one of the trees, feeling it's very energy surging...pulsing through it, and to the other trees...

It felt as if each tree had a heart, and all of them beat as one...

He leaned his forehead against it's bark, closing his eyes.

...Everything was so quiet and beautiful...

...He felt as if he could stay here, forever among the trees...

...His eyes opened, and he lifted his head, turning to look at his sparrow. She was asleep on his shoulder, tightly perched onto him. He smiled, stepping back from the tree, and walking back to the manor. Little did he even realize, that he had stood at the tree for a full hour. The very chakra of the nature around him was enough to put him into such a state of tranquility, time was nearly nonexistent to him. He entered the manor, kicking the snow off his boots. He noticed that Fuyumaru and Yoko were done speaking, as they both looked over to him. "...I can sense that you've reconnected yourself here, Haru..." Fuyumaru said from the ground where he laid, a smile on his face. Haru smiled back, taking off his boots and coming over to sit down beside his mother.

"You will start your training tomorrow...and from there, you will keep training until you are _ready_." Fuyumaru explained, looking over to Haru who firmly nodded in response.

He was ready to become stronger.

* * *

 **FUCK YEAH MY BOY, WE GONNA BE GETTIN SOME TRAINING UP IN HERE HEHEHEHEHE!**


	29. IMPORTANT NOTICE!

**Just wanted to clarify a few things before I continue this story any further!**

 **First: I have school and other hobbies.  
This means that I won't be super-duper fast at making story chapters. I'm doing homeschool stuff, art, and other things besides writing.**

 **Second: This story in itself and timeline, is actually near it's end.  
You heard me. I'll only be making either one or two more chapters before this story goes into Shippuden, because we're not at the part where Haru begins his long and hard training before returning back to the Leaf, for good. **

**But...this is also where a problem is.**

 **I had already planned everything out for Pre-Shippuden...but I'm honestly at complete loss of what the hell Haru will be doing in Shippuden. What I HAD planned, was that he was going to show up to the whole Gaara-capture incident, but then disappear to go join Sasuke. Thing is, the anime doesn't revolve itself around what all Sasuke is doing, so writing that shit? That's going to be freakishly hard.**

 **I really don't know what I want to do with the Shippuden story...so your guys' thoughts is strongly appreciated.**

 **Thank you for your understanding!**


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